Fact check: This viral message on coronavirus variant has not been issued by the health ministry

New Delhi, Apr 15: With the growing number of coronavirus cases in India and emergence of new variants, a message has been circulating on WhatsApp enumerating several COVID19 related inputs apparently issued by the health ministry in India is going viral.

The post, which is viral on WhatsApp and Facebook, is falsely claiming to be a press release put out by the Ministry of Health.

Debunking the false information, PIB Fact Check took to microblogging site Twitter confirming that the claim is fake.

''No such Press Release has been issued by the
@MoHFW_INDIA.''

A message circulating on #WhatsApp enumerating several #COVID19 related inputs is #falsely claiming to be a press release put out by the Ministry of Health.#PIBFactCheck

The claims made in the message are #Fake. No such Press Release has been issued by the @MoHFW_INDIA. pic.twitter.com/Fibmfe4cxW

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 15, 2021

The government and its various authorities have time and again urged people to be careful about such claims and do not believe any other source of information apart from official notification.

The emergence of new variants has sparked a flurry of interest in developing tests for specific viral mutations and prompted concerns about the accuracy of some existing tests.