A WHATSAPP message has been making its rounds claiming that the newly discovered Covid-19 Omicron XBB lineage is five times stronger than the Delta variant and has different symptoms.
Is this true?
Verdict:
FALSE
According to the Health Ministry, the viral message is fake and is the result of irresponsible parties spreading false information.
In a post on its Facebook page, the Ministry said that it took a serious view of those spreading false information as it could lead to confusion as the claims were not backed by scientific facts.
It then advised the public not to share the message as it could cause panic in the community.
In addition, the Health Ministry also called on the public not to be easily influenced by statements whose validity is unknown.
The Omicron XBB lineage was first detected in Singapore and the United States but has since spread to 35 countries.
It is a recombinant lineage, meaning that it derives its genetic material from different lineages and variants.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) statement on Oct 27, there has been a broad increase in prevalence of XBB in regional genomic surveillance, but it has not yet been consistently associated with an increase in new infections.
The WHO added that while further studies were needed, contrary to the previously mentioned viral message, the current data did not suggest that there were any substantial differences in disease severity for XBB infections.
There was however some early evidence that suggests XBB might pose a higher reinfection risk but it is too soon to tell.
References:
1. https://www.who.int/news/item/27-10-2022-tag-ve-statement-on-omicron-sublineages-bq.1-and-xbb
2. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/variant-classifications.html
