Dido Harding claims nobody could have predicted Covid variants – 14 predictably brutal responses
Dido Harding is the head of the government’s Test and Trace programme, as well as the acting chairperson of the National Institute for Health Protection, which means she has a huge role in the fight against Covid-19.
It was, therefore, a little baffling when she told a Commons select committee that nobody could have predicted that the virus would mutate.
"None of us were able to predict" coronavirus would mutate or variants would emerge – Dido Harding, head of the National Institute for Health Protection
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) February 3, 2021
It’s a bit like hearing the head baker casually mention that nobody would ever have suspected that bread dough could double in size if left to prove.
You know you’re supposed to be in the presence of an expert in their field, but there are so many red flags, you’re beginning to wonder if you’ve stumbled into a meeting of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club.
It’s not even the first time Baroness Harding has gone down this particularly unconvincing avenue. There was also this …
Coronavirus: Head of Test and Trace says rise in demand for COVID tests wasn't expected https://t.co/5yTZffJqj3
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 17, 2020
Her second public exclamation that nobody could have predicted an entirely predictable thing earned her as much scorn as the first.
We gathered some excellent examples.
1.
Oh come the fuck on – I'm a humourous columnist who left school at 11 and I know viruses mutate. https://t.co/PbhWrPKKTw
— Caitlin Moran (@caitlinmoran) February 3, 2021
2.
Whenever you feel lazy remember that a year into the pandemic the head of the National Institute for Health has not yet googled “what is a virus” https://t.co/dCQMXq8KB1
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) February 3, 2021
3.
Love how Dido Harding's stock response when found wanting yet again is just 'no one saw this coming' when in fact many people saw this coming https://t.co/KvB5TKC9ms
— Liam Thorp 💙 (@LiamThorpECHO) February 3, 2021
4.
Dido Harding:
▪️Received £22bn
▪️Consultants paid £7k an hour
▪️Failing to trace enough people
▪️Amazed more tests would be needed when schools re-opened
▪️Amazed that viruses mutate https://t.co/OGyx80vhXd— David Schneider (@davidschneider) February 3, 2021
5.
“I know literally fuck all about viruses” says woman paid £12bn in public money to combat the virus. https://t.co/FRfICMdycf
— Mitch Benn🇬🇧🇪🇺 (@MitchBenn) February 3, 2021
6.
Getting extremely tired of "whomst amongst us could possibly have known X" from people who rammed their fingers in their ears & aggressively hummed to themselves while experts yelled about X for months https://t.co/YMosgfLJmx
— Gee Aitch Cee (@Scriblit) February 3, 2021
7.
Dido Harding:
*leaves plate of sausages next to drooling Labrador with a sign round its neck saying ‘DO NOT LEAVE SAUSAGES NEAR ME I WILL EAT THE SAUSAGES’*
*returns three minutes later to find the sausages gone*
“Well, fuck me, this was entirely unexpected.” https://t.co/7Nn8CHXeVf
— 🏳️🌈 Max 🏳️🌈 (@SpillerOfTea) February 3, 2021
