The private cost of public service: how sharing science about COVID put experts in the crosshairs

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Dr. Alex Wong vividly remembers the night, 5 years ago, erstwhile helium work modelling information astir the imaginable surge of COVID-19 affirmative patients successful Saskatchewan. His kids were sleeping peacefully, unaware of what was coming.

"[It] fundamentally showed that we were going to get crushed, similar the strategy was going to get crushed," helium said, revealing that helium and galore others felt a deep-seated fearfulness and anxiousness astir what was to come. "I work that and I conscionable felt this horrible pit successful my stomach."

COVID-19 deed Saskatchewan successful the outpouring of 2020, with the state announcing its first case connected March 12.

It was the commencement of an exhausting travel for health-care workers, who accidental they're inactive trying to retrieve from the toll it took connected them.

Wong is an infectious diseases doc and is joined to a registered nurse. Both served connected the beforehand lines of the pandemic, but Wong said helium felt an other work to stock nationalist wellness information, doing aggregate interviews with media outlets passim Saskatchewan and connected nationalist shows, portion besides posting connected societal media.

"It became — conscionable similar I deliberation it would beryllium for anyone — a small spot of an obsession, right?" helium said, remembering his foray into the satellite of Twitter. "I was getting each of these likes and follows and subscriptions. I mean, my telephone virtually conscionable crashed [because] it was nonstop."

The aboriginal days of the pandemic were a frightening time.

"You saw conscionable young, different steadfast radical conscionable dying and determination was conscionable thing we could do. There was nary vaccine astatine that time," helium said.

LISTEN | Dr. Wong shared his communicative with big Sam Maciag connected This is Saskatchewan:

The turning constituent for Wong was successful January 2022.

The accent of his regular enactment combined with his nationalist wellness advocacy brought his assemblage to a breaking point. Wong said helium physically could not locomotion for a clip — his full assemblage seized up and felt tight, forcing him to instrumentality clip disconnected portion helium sought help.

"In hindsight, each of that was astir apt benignant of the carnal manifestation of stress," helium said, noting it happened astatine the highest of the Omicron variant surge, portion nationalist argumentation was diverging from what nationalist wellness leaders were calling for.

"Looking backmost astatine it, yeah, that astir apt was benignant of the opening of the extremity [of appearances] for me."

His posts dried up and helium stopped each media interviews. He went, successful his ain words, "radio silent."

The disinformation machine

Angela Rasmussen, a virologist astatine the Saskatoon-based Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, besides felt the interaction of being a nationalist and outspoken wellness figure.

As idiosyncratic who studies emerging viruses, she was portion of a squad chasing a vaccine.

"I'm a batch little trusting than I utilized to be, conscionable due to the fact that I've had truthful galore experiences with radical acting successful atrocious faith," she said, adding galore radical person fiscal and governmental incentives to sow disinformation.

That disinformation was served up with a broadside of hateful commentary astir her personally. She remembers being called each kinds of names, including "a fraud, and a loser and ugly."

"You can't beryllium bathed successful a deluge of unflattering, derogatory dehumanizing comments and not person it person immoderate effect connected your intelligence health," she said.

Wong said the scars from the COVID-19 pandemic are long-lasting for galore health-care workers. He said galore near their professions successful Saskatchewan due to the fact that of the "moral trauma, motivation injury" they faced.

"I deliberation the strategy is inactive trying to recover," helium said.

Wong present tries to carve retired much clip for himself, to link with his woman and 4 children, reminding himself of the preciousness of household clip that became truthful wide successful the look of a nationalist wellness crisis.

"I'm grateful to person had the accidental to benignant of gain people's spot and respect," helium said.

"Maybe that clip volition travel again astatine immoderate point. But if it doesn't, I won't shed a tear."

This communicative is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your transportation to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, Leisha Grebinski and Nichole Huck volition screen section issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping argumentation and fuelling creativity successful Saskatchewan.

Tune into This is Saskatchewan every Wednesday connected CBC Listen oregon wherever you get your podcasts.