ABC's doomsayer medic Norman Swan is blasted by a top doctor who claims he's failed Australia with his Covid coverage after calling vaccinated locals 'guinea pigs'
- Dr Norman Swan said Sydney residents getting vaccines were 'guinea pigs'
- He said this was first time government had used jabs to control an outbreak
- Disease expert Dr Nick Coatsworth hit back saying Dr Swan was wrong
- Dr Swan has responded saying Dr Coatsworth is 'angry' with the ABC pundit
A top Australian doctor has blasted ABC pundit Normal Swan for failing to 'accurately report' on Covid-19.
Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth publicly criticised Dr Swan last month for comparing Sydneysiders lining up for a vaccination to 'guinea pigs'.
The ABC journalist had claimed the state government's strategy to use jabs to curb an outbreak was untested - but Dr Coatsworth said he was wrong and potentially damaging confidence in the vaccines.
A top Australian doctor has blasted ABC pundit Normal Swan (right in an Instagram photo) for 'failing to accurately report' on Covid-19
Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth (pictured) publicly criticised Dr Swan last month for comparing Sydneysiders lining up for a vaccination to guinea pigs
When asked about their dispute, Dr Swan said he thinks Dr Coatsworth is 'angry' with him for criticising government medical experts who originally believed Covid spread mostly via respiratory droplets rather than in the air.
'I think he's angry with me,' Dr Swan told The Australian.
'I think it's annoyed him that I have called out the view that was prevalent in the government throughout much of 2020 that airborne spread wasn't important.'
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Dr Coatsworth insisted he was 'not annoyed' but slammed Dr Swan over his reporting on ABC TV and radio.
'I'm not annoyed with Norman Swan, but in my opinion he has failed to acknowledge and accurately report on the movement in government policy, which has acknowledged a greater role for airborne transmission,' he said.
He also attacked Dr Swan's 'guinea pig' comment, saying the taxpayer funded ABC has a responsibility 'to report as accurately as possible during a disaster'.
'Calling the entire population of greater Sydney guinea pigs does not fall into that category,' he said.
Disease expert and former deputy chief health officer Dr Nick Coatsworth said vaccines are used to stop outbreaks all around the world
When GP-turned- journalist Dr Swan made his 'guinea pig' comment, he was not claiming that the vaccines were experimental - only that the government's strategy of using vaccination to control the outbreak was untested.
'I don't think that this has been tried anywhere else in the world where you're trying to use vaccination to curve an outbreak,' he said.
'And in a sense, the residents of New South Wales, or Greater Sydney, are guinea pigs.'
But Dr Coatsworth said vaccines are used to stop outbreaks all around the world - and even pointed to his own field experience in Africa.
'No, Dr Swan, they are not guinea pigs. I vaccinated during measles in Chad in 2005,' he wrote in a response on Twitter.
'Rapid vaccination during an epidemic is part of epidemic control. And it's what every other country has done with Covid-19. Restrictions plus rapid vaccines works.'
Dozens of Twitter users also criticised Dr Swan, pointing out that the UK, the US and other countries rapidly rolled out vaccines earlier this year to control Covid-19 outbreaks.
'Thanks for calling out this nonsense,' wrote one user.
'What an absurd comment from Swan,' wrote another.
Daily Mail Australia contacted the ABC for comment.
What are the four phases of opening up?
A. Vaccinate, prepare and pilot (from July 14)
Arrival caps cut in half to 3,035 a week; early, stringent and short lockdowns if outbreaks occur; trials of seven-day home quarantine for vaccinated arrivals in South Australia; medicare vaccination certificates available on apps like apple wallet
B. Post vaccination phase (when 70 per cent are jabbed, expected late this year)
Lockdowns less likely but possible'; vaccinated people face reduced restrictions; caps for unvaccinated arrivals increased; a larger cap for vaccinated arrivals with 'reduced quarantine requirements'; capped entry for students and economic visa holders
C. Consolidation phase (when 80 per cent are jabbed, time not announced)
Lifting all restrictions for outbound travel for vaccinated travellers; no caps for vaccinated arrivals; increased caps for students and visa holders; more travel bubbles being set up with countries such as Singapore; booster shots rolled out
D. Final phase (percentage or time not announced)
Uncapped arrivals for vaccinated people without any quarantine and uncapped arrivals for unvaccinated people with testing before departure and on arrival
