Gardaí have appointed a senior investigating officer to oversee a probe into the spread of disinformation following the death of Covid-19 patient Joe McCarron.
Mr McCarron passed away on Friday at the age of 67. His funeral will be held in his hometown of Dungloe today.
Mr McCarron was a patient at Letterkenny University Hospital, but on Tuesday 14th September, he was removed from the hospital against medical advice by people who claimed he was being forced into intensive care. Mr McCarron was suffering severe breathing difficulties and was readmitted to LUH two days later.
He was subsequently placed on a ventilator and died as a result of his illness.
Joe McCarron RIP
Mr McCarron’s death led to a call by Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter yesterday to investigate his exit from the hospital in mid-September.
Garda have now confirmed that a senior investigating officer is appointed to oversee the investigation into a number of recent incidents which occurred at Letterkenny University Hospital.
The Saolta Hospital Group has expressed “grave concerns” about the impact of activists attempting to spread disinformation about Covid-19 at hospitals.
“In respect of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme, and the treatment of patients who have been hospitalised due to COVID-19, we advise people to get their information from reputable sources, and follow the public health advice that is available on hse.ie and gov.ie,” a spokesperson said.
“Please see also HSE advice on fake news: https://www2.hse.ie/wellbeing/dealing-with-fake-health-information-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic.html”
