The doctor that’s been tagged as the source of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Campbellton, N.B., area is calling for a public apology from Premier Blaine Higgs, claiming evidence shows he’s not to blame.
Joël Etienne, the lawyer for Dr. Jean Robert Ngola, said a private investigator has found evidence that Ngola could not have been “patient zero” because everyone he came into contact with in Quebec has tested negative for COVID-19.
“Which means, by definition, that if he got sick, he got sick in New Brunswick, not Quebec,” Etienne said in an interview Thursday.
The New Brunswick government linked the COVID-19 outbreak in Campbellton to a person who had travelled out of province and did not self-isolate upon their return.
Etienne says Ngola travelled from Campbellton to Quebec during the week of May 10 to pick up his 4-year-old daughter, after her mother suffered a family tragedy and needed to travel.
Since the Campbellton outbreak began, Etienne says Ngola has been the target of online racism and harassment and has seen his reputation damaged.
READ MORE: 2 new coronavirus cases identified in New Brunswick involving Campbellton Regional Hospital
The letter calls for government co-operation on the investigation into what Etienne says are government leaks that outed Ngola’s identity on social media.
It also asks for a public apology from the premier and wants Higgs to publicly call for civility and respect toward Ngola.
“This gentleman is in quarantine. He is a single parent with a 4-year-old child…”
“Things have gone so bad for him that he had to seek police protection,” said Etienne.
In Fredericton on Thursday, Higgs defended his government’s stance.
“I am quite comfortable in the position that I have taken, how I’ve spoken about it, and the reality of how this situation developed,” Higgs said. “If the facts are all on the table, I’m sure others will be clear as well.”
Ngola remains under suspension from Vitalite Health Network but is seeking reinstatement.
“I would like to reiterate that Vitalite Health Network takes the protection of the confidentiality of its employees and physicians’ human resources files very seriously,” said Vitalite president and CEO Gilles Lanteigne in a statement.
“Since this matter is likely to end up in court, Vitalite Health Network will not comment further or give interviews at this point.”
READ MORE: Coronavirus — 4 new cases in New Brunswick linked to outbreak at long-term care facility
Etienne says legal action not been ruled out, but is not in the plans at the moment.
He says the doctor’s quarantine is scheduled to conclude by the end of the week.
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