The Department of Health says it has noted with concern an old fake news report about the Covid-19 Omicron XBB variant circulating on social media platforms advising people to wear face masks because of an alleged ‘deadly and not easy to detect variant’.

The department warned this is a misleading message that first surfaced during the peak of the pandemic, without a traceable source.

“We urge members of the public to be vigilant and ignore this malicious social media content intended 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 [the] 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,” the department said.

The department concluded that taking protective measures in our daily lives, including non-pharmaceutical interventions including hand hygiene, will help to prevent the spread of other respiratory infections including influenza.

The Witness reports professor Salim Abdool Karim, the director of the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in SA and one of the country’s chief Covid-19 advisers, names influenza (flu) and three other viruses to rather watch out for.

“As the winter season approaches it is important to note that there are three important viruses which occur this time of year,” adds Abdool Karim.

He says the three are: Respiratory syncytial virus, which is more of a concern for children than adults, rhinovirus and adenovirus, which are mild cases that cause the ‘sniffles’.