TeWhatu Ora launches probe into vaccine misinformation

Te Whatu Ora has opened an investigation, saying an employee used government data to spread vaccine misinformation. The staff member had no clinical background or expert vaccine knowledge, said Te Whatu Ora chief executive Margie Apa. “It is extremely disappointing to see a staff member trying to misuse our data to spread misinformation. What he is claiming is completely wrong and ill-informed ... We take the security of the information we hold extremely seriously, and this is a significant breach of trust.” Stuff understands the alleged misinformation centred around the number of vaccinerelated deaths. In New Zealand, there have been four deaths linked to the Covid-19 vaccination since it was rolled out. “This is in the context of 3361 people whose deaths have to date been directly attributed to Covid-19 in New Zealand, with more than 12.6 million vaccines administered to eligible New Zealanders,” Apa said. Te Whatu Ora said the employee who spread the alleged misinformation was “no longer at work”. It has launched an employment investigation into the situation.