The Department of Health has dismissed what they call fake news about the COVID-19 Omicron XBB variant that has been circulating on social media platforms.
The posts are advising South Africans to wear face masks because of an alleged deadly and uneasily detectable variant.
National Department of Health Spokesperson Foster Mohale says this is a misleading message which initially resurfaced during the peak of the pandemic without a traceable source.
He says the department will keep the public abreast if there is a surge in cases of illness caused by any virus of concern or outbreak of any disease.
We urge members of the public to be vigilant and ignore this malicious social media content whose intent is to cause unnecessary panic and confusion, especially as the country is entering influenza season. The fact of the matter is COVID-19 remains circulating at relatively low levels around the country just like in other parts of the world. Thus, there is no need for public to panic because many people have developed some level of immunity from both vaccine and infections. The current strain or variant in circulation is less severe and less transmissible.
