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In November 2020, social media users began sharing a video that supposedly captured a man named Dr. Roger Hodkinson stating that COVID-19 was the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on an unsuspected public during a city council meeting in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Although this sort of claim can typically be dismissed out of hand (COVID-19 is not a hoax, and the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in more than 1.3 million deaths worldwide), social media users claimed that this person's opinion was worth listening to since he was, according to the postings, the Chairman of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. This caller in question was not the Chairman of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (nor did he claim to be in the video), and that medical organization has released a statement distancing themselves from any association with his comments. While some online outlets presented this viral video (seen below) as if it captured secretly recorded audio of a meeting between top pathologist Hodkinson and government officials in Canada, this audio actually originated with a city council meeting held in Edmonton on Nov. 13, 2020, which involved various members of the community calling in to voice their concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Hodkinson was one such caller. Although many callers told the members of Edmonton City Council that they were unhappy with various mask mandates, the internet paid special attention to Hodkinson's comments, in large part because he detailed some seemingly praiseworthy credentials before he offered his opinions. It should be noted that while the caller identified himself as Hodkinson and a viral video released later displayed Hodkinson's picture and his title, the original video of the call simply showed a telephone logo displayed on a black screen. In other words, Hodkinson was not an advertised speaker at this meeting, and it's possible (although not probable) that the audio featured someone claiming to be Hodkinson and not the doctor himself. We reached out to Hodkinson for confirmation and will update this article accordingly if he responds. The person who identified as Hodkinson listed his credentials as follows: As the video circulated on social media, some of Hodkinson's credentials were misconstrued. Some commenters claimed, for example, that Hodkinson was (or had been) the chairman of Canada's Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. This was not the case. In fact, that medical organization released a statement explaining that while Hodkinson was certified as a general pathologist by the Royal College in 1976, he was never the organization's chairman: It was also claimed that Hodkinson was the President of the Alberta Society of Laboratory Physicians (ASLP), as shown in the caption of the viral video. The ASLP is no longer an active organization. The ASLP was a precursor to the Alberta Medical Association's Section of Laboratory Physicians — a change that occurred at least 25 years ago — and that organization has distanced itself from Hodkinson's comments. The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) released a statement saying that it does not share any of the views of the individual in question: His credentials aside, the comments Hodkinson made during this city council meeting ran counter (by his own admission) to the general consensus of the scientific community. Here we'll address a few of his claims: Among many claims Hodkinson made during the call, he said that COVID-19 should be treated as if it were nothing more than a bad flu season. In reality, COVID-19 has proven to be far deadlier than the flu. In Canada, the flu kills approximately 3,500 people a year. COVID-19, on the other hand, has resulted in more than 11,500 deaths in Canada so far in 2020. Globally, the flu kills between 290,000 to 650,000 people every year. In the eight months since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, more than 1.3 million people have died. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explained other differences between the flu and COVID-19: Hodkinson also claimed on the call that masks are utterly useless and that there is no evidence base for their effectiveness whatsoever. But this, again, is false. Multiple studies have shown mask use to slow the spread of COVID-19 and nearly every reputable health organization recommends the use of face masks (in addition to social distancing measures and regular hand-washing). In fact, a recent U.S. study found counties in Kansas that implemented mask mandates saw COVID-19 cases decrease, while counties that did not implement mask mandates saw cases increase. NPR reported: To sum up: A man claiming to be Dr. Roger Hodkinson called into a public city council meeting in Edmonton, Alberta, to give his two cents about how the city was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. While Hodkinson, who said that he is currently the chairman of a company that produces COVID-19 tests, does have an educational background in pathology, both the Alberta Medical Association and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons have published statements refuting his claims. Our review of Hodkinson's comments also found that his statements contained inaccuracies as well as opinions that fall outside the consensus of the scientific community. With that being said, here's the video of Hodkinson's public remarks during a city council meeting in Edmonton:
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