Statements posted on social media and uttered in public by a Limerick-based GP during the Covid-19 pandemic were “disparaging” and undermining of public health guidelines, a Medical Council fitness-to-practise committee has heard. Dr Patrick Morrissey of Adare Medical Centre appeared before the committee on Thursday for the third day of the inquiry into 39 allegations he faces. These include that between November 30th, 2020 and September 26th, 2021, he posted tweets that were highly critical of the Covid-19 vaccines and vaccination programme and public health authorities such as the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet).These tweets include one posted by Morrissey on November 30th, 2020, in which he described the PCR test as “dogsh**”. A PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test is a molecular diagnostic technique used to detect genetic material from viruses such as Covid-19.A further tweet posted by Morrissey on January 1st, 2021, advocated for the use of Vitamin D, hydroxychloroquine, zinc and ivermectin in the community. He said this was “effective” and that lockdowns should be stopped.Hydroxychloroquine is used to manage autoimmune conditions including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, while ivermectin is used to treat parasitic infection. Morrissey is also facing allegations regarding his attendance and address at a public meeting in Limerick on December 19th, 2020, where he is alleged to have said, “Too many people are doing what they are told. Too many people are drinking the Kool-Aid. The Government are gaslighting us.” Prof Colin Bradley, a retired general practitioner and professor of general practice, is serving as an expert witness for the chief executive of the Medical Council Dr Maria O’Kane. He continued on Thursday with his evidence and said this statement was “disparaging and undermining of public health guidelines”.Bradley said he felt a statement made by Morrissey at a rally in Dublin at the Custom House on October 3rd, 2020, where he said that “Nphet are completely out of touch”, was undermining and disparaging of Nphet. Bradley felt that statements Morrissey uttered at both the rally in Dublin and the public meeting in Limerick amounted to poor professional performance and professional misconduct.During cross-examination, Morrissey asked Bradley, who practised as a GP during the pandemic, whether he was aware of data released by Pfizer in April 2021 regarding 42,000 patients who received the Pfizer vaccine during a three-month period of the rollout of the vaccine, with 1,223 deaths recorded. Bradley said he was not aware of this data, that he administered the vaccine prior to the release date of that data and that he was not an expert in that area. Bradley agreed that the figure of 1,223 deaths was a cause for concern.He also said that, regarding any medicine, all adverse events are recorded, that the data did not state that these deaths were caused by the administration of the Pfizer vaccine, and that some people who were vaccinated still died of Covid-19. He added he would rather trust that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) would have reviewed that data and highlighted it to practitioners, rather than “picking up on one set of statistics”. When asked by Morrissey whether it was reasonable on the part of a practitioner to exercise caution regarding the Pfizer vaccine and children, Bradley said the fundamental point was “who one trusts regarding this guidance, whether it is safe or unsafe”.“If it is deemed safe by people with greater expertise than me as a practitioner, I will respect their expertise and judgment regarding its safety in patients,” Bradley added. The inquiry into the allegations against Morrissey will continue at a future date as yet to be decided upon.