Norman Swan hits back at criticism after apology over linking Senator Kimberley Kitching’s death to Covid

Dr Norman Swan has blasted any suggestion that Covid is a benign disease after he was forced to apologise over his claims.

ABC health guru Dr Norman Swan dismissed as “complete bulls**t” any suggestion that Covid is a benign disease after he was forced to apologise for falsely linking the virus to the death of Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching.

The grieving family of the late senator has lodged a formal complaint with the ABC after the broadcaster’s health expert Dr Swan linked her death — and that of cricketer Shane Warne — to Covid.

But the health reporter, who the family say was “gracious” in his apology over the phone, has doubled down on his warnings over the risks that Covid can cause heart problems after he was attacked as peddling “doomsday” scenarios by 2GB radio host Ben Fordham.

News.com.au revealed on Tuesday a repentant Dr Swan had issued a personal apology to Senator Kitching’s family after he was contacted by her husband who pointed out she never tested positive to the virus.

The revelations have triggered fury and this morning prompted Fordham to unleash on him during his breakfast program.

The 2GB host took aim at the former physician and broadcaster in a fiery spray claiming Dr Swan was “no better than the anti-vaxxers who claim that every famous person who’s died in the last two years and died of the jab”.

“He should be ashamed of himself,” Fordham said.

Dr Norman Swan has apologised for linking the death of Kimberley Kitching to Covid

Fordham accused Dr Swan of “speculating like a gossip columnist” and questioned why the ABC was still giving him a platform.

“He hasn’t practiced medicine since the 1980s for starters - that’s how long it’s been since he’s been in the doctor’s room treating a patient,” he claimed.

“Because of coronavirus he was in the right place at the right time and he became a bit of a superstar at the ABC.

“We’ve been calling out his doomsday scenarios, trying to scare the life out of people when it comes to coronavirus, always giving the worst case scenario... (but) he has overstepped the mark in a major way.”

Fordham also criticised Dr Swan for his speculation about Warne.

“There’s an unwritten rule for medicos who work in the medical space: Don’t go speculating on cases you know nothing about and that’s exactly what he did yesterday on Shane Warne,” he said.

The comments prompted Dr Swan to hit back insisting that the dangers of the coronavirus were real and established.

Dr Swan called Fordham’s comments “complete bullshit” and said his point stood regardless of his error over Kitching, citing a recently published population study of 48 million adults in England and Wales that found an elevated risk of clotting in the months after Covid infection.

“I got it wrong with Kimberley Kitching and I regret that, but the data are the data and if Ben Fordham wants to go and pretend that this is a benign disease that doesn’t cause any problems he’s living in cloud-cuckoo-land,’’ he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Senator Kitching died on March 10 from a suspected heart attack at the age of 52. She was being treated for a thyroid condition that was contributing to heart problems and never had Covid.

Kimberley Kitching with her husband Andrew Landeryou. Picture: Ray Strange

Swan forced to apologise after error

Dr Swan was forced to issue an apology over his statements about the death of Warne and Senator Kitching on ABC News on Tuesday morning.

“It’s too much of a coincidence that Shane Warne and the Labor Senator in Victoria died not long after a Covid infection, and people are reporting sudden death after Covid infection. It’s not benign,” he said

However, Senator Kitching did not contract Covid before her death and had not tested positive previously.

“I’ve personally apologised to Andrew, her husband,” Dr Swan told news.com.au.

“I’ve clearly made an error which I deeply regret. I do recall such reports and have checked with others who did too but that doesn’t excuse my having upset the family.”

News.com.au is not aware of any previous reports that Senator Kitching had Covid and nor is her family.

ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland read out an on air apology to address the issue this morning.

“Dr Norman Swan has issued an apology after suggesting there may be a Covid link to the deaths of Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching and cricket great Shane Warne. He made those comments during his interview on our program yesterday,’’ he said.

“Dr Swan says he’s personally apologised to Senator Kitching’s husband yesterday and that he made an error he regrets.”

News.com.au has confirmed that Senator Kitching was tested regularly for Covid as part of her job but never returned a positive result.

Ms Kitching died on March 10 from a suspected heart attack. She was being treated for a thyroid condition that was contributing to heart problems.

Shane Warne. Picture: Robert Prezioso/Getty Images

Earlier, Dr Swan told Daily Mail Australia that cricket legend Warne had “lots of risk factors for heart disease, but if he was going to get a bit of extra inflammation from Covid, that could have tipped him over the edge”.

“These are two high-profile people,” Dr Swan added. “One of whose death was a complete surprise, and they both had Covid in the background.”

Before his death, cricketer Shane Warne revealed while he was battling Covid-19 in August he was put on a ventilator.

But he said it was a trial treatment rather than requiring a ventilator to breathe.

“”It wasn’t because I could not breathe, or anything like that, it was basically a special ventilator that I was trialling to make sure there were no longer-lasting effects that Covid would have on me,” he said.

“I have been fine, I have been able to run, I have been able to do everything. I have been absolutely fine.

“It was a bit like a hangover, I had a pounding headache. The first couple of days, when I tested positive, I just had a thumping headache and I had one day where I had the shivers, but (was) sweating, like when you have the flu,” Warne told The Herald Sun.

“I lost a bit of sense of taste for a few days, but after three or four days I was fine. I have apparently got the holy grail. I have been double vaccinated and I have had Covid, so I am meant to be absolutely fine now.”