ABC health guru Dr Norman Swan is slammed for telling Aussies to wear masks at Christmas: 'Give it up'

The ABC's health expert has been accused of 'scaremongering' after he said people should be wearing masks this Christmas. 

Dr Norman Swan said people should mask up to reduce the spread of Covid and avoid 'stuffy' indoor areas by holding events outside. 

'Stay outdoors, don't go indoors to stuffy environments, wear masks to protect yourselves, and if you've got symptoms like a runny nose or a cough stay away from your relatives,' Dr Swan told The Project on Tuesday night. 

'For those of you that have not had a jab in 2023; Really, another jab? I mean you haven't had a jab for quite a while [so] put on your big boy pants or your big girl pants and go out and get one.

'This is not a mild virus and the death rates are going back up again.'

2GB radio host Chris O'Keefe said Dr Swan needed to 'give it up' and was giving advice more suited to circumstances in 2020 when Covid case numbers peaked. 

'Can we just drop off this stuff?' he told listeners on Friday. 

'It feels like we're back in 2020 when you hear Dr Norman Swan, doesn't it? Listen, Dr Swan, please, just give it away. Enough. 

'Most of us have had Covid once, maybe twice, maybe two or three times. And you know what? We're all still here to tell the tale. 

'We know ourselves as individuals, and we'll make the decision to go and get vaxxed, depending on whether or not we think we are particularly vulnerable.' 

O'Keefe said Dr Swan was damaging his 'credibility' with his hardline Covid Christmas predictions.

'This wave if you knew it was on, it's due to peter out by Christmas. But honestly, Norman, we get it,' he said. 

'Can you please just stop? Enough is enough.'

Dr Swan's advice came as Australia enters its eighth Covid wave with infections in NSW alone up by 20 per cent in the last fortnight. 

The ABC health expert called on Aussies to stay up to date with their injections in spite of vaccine fatigue. 

'About five million Australians are under-immunised,' he told The Project. 

'Really it's about, have you had a jab in 2023? And if you haven't had one, wait until a new one comes on stream [on December 11] and get one. But if you have had an immunisation in 2023 you don't need another one probably until 2024, unless you're at high risk or you're over 75, or over 65 with risk factors.'

The new version of the vaccine is designed to specifically fight off the most common version of the virus as emergency rooms struggle to keep up with cases.

It targets the new XBB variant that was first discovered in late December 2022 and has quickly become the dominant strain in the country.

Up to 89 per cent of eligible Australians are not up to date with vaccines amid warnings NSW's Covid wave is due to peak at Christmas. 

However, federal health data shows there has been a recent spike in vaccinations as case numbers balloon in all states and territories. 

Up to 35 per cent of people admitted into hospitals carry the virus which can lead to deadly outbreaks in high-risk settings. 

Infectious diseases physician Professor Peter Collignon last week warned that the current wave will peak within weeks.

'This wave has been going on for weeks already and they usually peak at about six weeks,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'We will likely see cases returning to the amounts seen in October by mid December.'