Small group of scientists, clinicians call for CHO’s sacking, with shock claims of ‘let it rip’ Covid approach

The Health Minister is backing CHO John Gerrard, as a collection of respected professionals call for his sacking, amid claims his office adopted an “unscientific” approach to the Covid pandemic.

A collection of respected scientists and clinicians has made an unprecedented call for the sacking of chief health officer John Gerrard.

The group has made shock claims Dr Gerrard’s office adopted an “unscientific let-it rip” approach to the Covid pandemic and these policies cost lives and put many thousands of Queenslanders at risk of serious long-term illness.

More than a dozen international, interstate and Queensland academics, researchers and medics have penned a letter to Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman outlining what they claim are several false and uninformed Covid statements from Dr Gerrard that have purportedly minimised the seriousness of the virus.

“He has repeatedly made public statements that are objectively untrue and which failed to reflect the substantial scientific evidence available at the time,” the letter, which was sent this week, states.

The group has made shock claims Dr Gerrard’s office adopted an “unscientific let-it rip” approach to the Covid pandemic. Picture: Richard Walker

A senior doctor employed by Queensland Health backs the call for Dr Gerrard to be replaced and has signed the letter.

“Thanks to his downplaying of the need for basic mitigations in healthcare, we now see patients exposed to infections from staff, visitors and fellow patients, with Australian data demonstrating a 5 to 10 per cent mortality rate from hospital-acquired Covid seemingly being ignored,” the doctor said.

“Dr Gerrard has used his position of authority as chief health officer to promote falsehoods about Covid such as droplet mode of transmission and that recurrent infection will lead to population-wide immunity, neither of which are accepted science,” they said.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman stands by her chief health officer and credits him for keeping Queenslanders alive during the pandemic.

“Queenslanders can thank both Dr John Gerrard and Dr Jeannette Young for their expertise and leadership during the pandemic. Queenslanders are alive today because of them and their actions,” Ms Fentiman said.

Covid testing locations around Brisbane in December 2021 during the peak of the pandemic. Pictures David Clark

“Dr Gerrard is a renowned clinician and continues to provide expert advice around managing Covid-19, in line with agreed national and international approaches. When he says people should get vaccinated, to test if you have symptoms, to stay home if you’re infected and to mask up when needed, I take that advice seriously and so should Queenslanders,” she said.

A Queensland Health spokesman has also rejected the claims in the letter. saying it was important to judge the state’s response to the pandemic by the results.

“With more than 20 per cent of Australia’s population, Queensland has fortunately seen only 14 per cent of the nation’s Covid-19 deaths. This is one of the lowest mortality rates in the world,” he said.

Dr Gerrard is on leave.

Dr Alan Baxter, another registered medical practitioner, and an Emeritus Professor in Cellular and Molecular Biology at James Cook and Monash Universities signed the letter and told The Courier-Mail that Dr Gerrard’s position is one of great responsibility which affects the welfare and longevity of most people in the state.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman stands by her chief health officer and credits him for keeping Queenslanders alive during the pandemic. Picture: Glenn Campbell/NcaNewsWire

“His recent announcements trivialising and dismissing long Covid, for example, has left many people — and not just in Australia — wondering. In most occupations, this would be more than enough to trigger review of performance; in a position of this nature,” Dr Baxter said.

The academic who is living with multiple sclerosis, claims policies adopted by the CHO’s office failed to protect people at high risk of death and disability.

Dr Baxter’s view and the views of all signees are entirely their own and not the view of associated institutions.

Dr Gerrard was appointed chief health officer for Queensland Health in December 2021. He was the long-term director of Infectious Diseases at the Gold Coast Hospital.

“Dr Gerrard has continually been an advocate for robust, proven and clinically supported measures aimed at protecting people from infection, mitigating the impact of infection with precision and unwavering dedication,” the QH spokesman said.

Health workers at a pop up COVID-19 testing clinic in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The CHO was the target of criticism by long Covid sufferers when he released findings of long Covid research and issued a statement that said the name “long Covid” implied the long-term viral symptoms were unique and exceptional to other viral infections and that the name should be scrapped as it stirred up unnecessary fear.

But QH insists that this amounted to a misreading of the official’s comments and Dr Gerrard has said that long Covid symptoms are real.

“The long Covid study, presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) acknowledges that the symptoms of long Covid are real.

“Dr Gerrard has previously said, “I want to make it clear that the symptoms that some patients describe after having Covid-19 are real. We believe they are real”.