Why experts say Premier Moe’s claim vaccines no longer protect against COVID-19 is based on misunderstanding – CBC

Moe’s decision to view data as only whole numbers is what experts commonly refer to as a base rate fallacy

Feb 03, 2022

Experts are pushing back on Premier Scott Moe’s pronouncement earlier this week that vaccines no longer prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

Scientists and doctors say the premier’s position is not backed up by evidence or data.

“He’s spewing basically nonsense,” said Nazeem Muhajarine, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan.

In a statement published on Saturday, Moe wrote that “vaccination does not keep you from contracting COVID-19” and that “vaccination is not reducing transmission.”

n Monday during a news conference, Moe modified his phrasing and repeated the claim.

Unaccompanied by any public health official, the premier said the data was clear to him.

“The bottom line of all of this is that vaccines do work, but they are no longer working at preventing transmission in this wave of COVID 19, like they previously did in the Delta wave at which they were quite effective,” said Moe.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/covid-19-transmission-scott-moe-1.6336479