Fact Check: Health Ministry labels XBB variant messages as fake, misleading

New Delhi: Amid the three cases of the Omicron BF.7 variant found in India, people started circulating various messages related to Covid-19 variants. One such notice about the Omicron XBB variant got viral on social media, which states that this variant is five times more dangerous than the Delta variant. Health Ministry took on their Twitter handle to burst the myth and labelled it as fake. The Health Ministry wrote that the message regarding the XBB variant, circulating in Whatsapp groups, is fake and misleading. #FakeNews This message is circulating in some Whatsapp groups regarding XBB variant of #COVID19. The message is #FAKE and #MISLEADING. pic.twitter.com/LAgnaZjCCi — Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) December 22, 2022 The message said that this new variant cannot be detected through RT-PCR tests and that fever and cough are not its symptoms. It said that the variant causes a ‘pain-free’ viral pneumonia in the chest. Facts related to the Omicron XBB variant: As per the official website of the World Health Organisation (WHO), XBB is a recombinant of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 sublineages and has been found in 35 countries. WHO says that early research has shown a higher reinfection risk, but there is not enough data
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