RICHARD ORD: Don't worry about Covid, rent-a-gob Welch is on the case

Anyone from Eastenders or Corrie will do, someone with absolutely no previous medical know-how or experience preferred.

Of course, no one in their right mind would seek health support from soap stars and yet former Corrie actor Denise Welch is considered the go-to mouthpiece on Covid. Well, at least she’s the go-to gob for those with distinct anti-vax sympathies.

The outspoken Loose Women pundit has built up a hefty following on Twitter with her emoji heavy rants against lockdowns, masks and vaccines. You may well ask who gives a monkeys about what a former soap star makes of Covid? But for the desperate Covid skeptics, she’s a breath of fresh rabid air.

GB News decided her opinion was so important she was star guest on Dan Wootton’s talk show. No surprises there. Odious Wootton is a mask-averse expert basher who reserves particular hatred for New Zealand premier Jacinda Ardern and her strict public health policies. According to Wootton, she’s caused a “never-ending nightmare”. Really? Only 50 people in New Zealand have died of Covid. A brilliant result for a day in the UK. But that figure is the number of Covid deaths in total! I can think of more than 150,000 UK citizens who may have appreciated that ‘never-ending nightmare’ rather than the actions that resulted in them being, well, dead. In keeping New Zealand deaths to double digits, Dan has branded her ‘crazy’. Denise dutifully endorsed his view on Twitter.

Denise has been particularly vocal on the Partygate rule-breakers. Ironic really given she happily admits to breaking the rules herself to see her dying father. She is, of course, unrepentant. Her defence appears to be that there was almost no Covid in the hospital. Well, Denise, that’s probably due to the fact that people were obeying the rules and staying out of hospitals to keep them as Covid-free as possible. But, like Denise, I’m no expert on the subject.

They cynic would suggest her hysterical and obsessive Covid tweeting is more to do with chasing ‘likes’ from a small but vocal anti-vax community than a genuine public health concern. It’s nice to feel relevant, even if it’s only within the echo chamber of social media.

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