Party on: Health Ministry debunks new year cancellation over XBC Covid variant scare as fake news
The Ministry of Public Health dismissed the cancellation of new year celebrations in Thailand due to the purported spread of a new Covid-19 variant, XBC, as fake news. No unusual outbreaks or dangerous variants have been reported.
A Thai Facebook user recently reported that the government was planning to cancel all new year holiday events due to the spread of the new Deltacron XBC variant. The user stated that Deltacron XBC spreads more easily and quickly than the previous variants and is three times more dangerous than others.
The fake news sharer also added that many Thai people had been infected with deltacron XBC. The post included statistical and random studies that were supposedly published by Chulalongkorn University to make the information reliable.
Many netizens shared the messages, causing many people to panic about another outbreak and some to worry about their businesses during the high season at the end of the year.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, Opas Karnkawinpong, announced today, December 8, that the messages were fake. Dr Opas said the ministry had not yet discovered any unusual situation or dangerous spread of Covid, so there were no plans to cancel the new year’s celebrations in Thailand.
Opas urged Thai netizens not to share the post to avoid panic among the public. He added that residents could contact the authorities to verify the suspicious information before sharing it with others.
According to the Public Health Ministry’s report, 536 people were infected with Covid and treated in hospitals from November 26 to December 2.
The number of patients increased slightly compared to previous weeks as Thailand entered the cold season. This is a normal period for the number of respiratory cases to increase. The ministry advised residents to wear face masks and wash their hands more often to avoid infection.
Nevertheless, some doctors stepped forward to voice their opinions that the number of Covid patients increased significantly this month, and the government department should report the real situation for residents to take care of themselves.
A pediatric specialist in respiratory diseases from the Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, Jirarut Chomchoei, reported to DailyNews that eight out of ten of his patients were infected.
Jirarut suggested that people, especially those who cough, have a runny nose or are sick, wear masks to avoid spreading the disease to others. He also urged people to wash their hands often before eating or touching their faces.
