They spread false and alarmist information about the covid-19 resurgence

False news about the new resurgence of covid-19 is spreading through social networks, especially WhatsApp messages.

Yes, the backlash does exist, but the impact on human health is not as severe as described in the message, which has been forwarded thousands of times through personal contacts and group chats.

This alarmist news suggests that the new Omicron variant is five times more lethal than the previous Delta variant and therefore has a higher mortality rate.

Fake news added:

The condition takes less time to reach extreme severity and there are no warning symptoms.

The article states that the symptoms are no cough and no fever. It manifests as joint pain, headaches, neck and upper back pain. It can cause pneumonia and loss of appetite.

To increase credibility, the name of the alleged responsible person appears at the bottom of the text, and of course he is a doctor: Dr. Ernesto Ochoa Valenzuela, from the field of Hospital Epidemiology, HGO, IMSS Bienestar.

So far, the falsehood of the news has only been confirmed by the cybersecurity department of the Sonora state government, but there is no information or denial from health authorities.

clarify

Health authorities have provided clarification on the issue to avoid alarmism.

They clarified that XBB is one of the consequences of the omicron variant, which so far is the only variant of concern to health organizations.

– No differences in symptoms, severity, route of entry into the body, or mortality compared with omicron.

– The World Health Organization says it is not different enough from omicron to warrant different public health measures than current ones.