Introduction

Alberta declared two public health emergencies on September 15, 2021 (Alberta Government, Orders in Council, 2021) and on March 17, 2021 (Alberta Government, Orders in Council, 2021), due to increasing numbers of Covid-19 infections. There were 20, 917 cases on March 17 (YourAlberta, 2021, March 17), which caused concern for the viability of province-wide intensive care units, particularly among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals.

Public response to the Covid-19 pandemic in Alberta has been varied, with an unusually high number of people refusing vaccinations due largely to an expressed distrust of government and institutions. This mixed method study focuses on the institutional messaging from the province of Alberta and the reactionary misinformation expressed on social media platforms in response to government pandemic control measures, and broadly examines Alberta’s Covid-19 communication to determine how, or if, it contributed to an infodemic and subsequent vaccine hesitancy and resistance to pandemic-related public health measures.

When a public health emergency was declared due to increasing numbers of active cases, Alberta had more than twice as many cases as any other province (CBC, 2021). When this research was conducted, between September and December 2020, Albertans had experienced four “waves” of the pandemic, with lockdowns and reopenings intermittent. Public messaging from Alberta’s premier was inconsistent and seemed to prioritize the economy over the virus’ potential. Meanwhile, social media exploded with denialism, vaccine hesitancy, distrust of government, and extreme right-wing views expressed within a pandemic context. This research hypothesizes government messaging contributed to the expression of such views on social media, the subsequently reduced rate of vaccinations among Albertans, and protests against non-pharmaceutical measures intended to limit the spread of Covid-19. This research team sought insight to add to a growing body of literature about public health crisis communication. Although national communications regarding the Covid-19 pandemic are beyond the scope of this study, it should be noted that among the qualitative literature reviewed were many other examples of how government communications could have better managed the pandemic response, including that of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Has the Covid-19 infodemic contributed to the current health crisis in Alberta by amplifying inconsistent messaging disseminated by provincial officials?