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The Eastern Cape Health Department says that a social media message claiming there have been 26 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in East London since May 8 is fake news.
The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is, however, currently in peak circulation in the country, with influenza virus infections on the increase.
Eastern Cape Health Department spokesperson Mkhululi Ndamase said, “We are calling on people to stop spreading fake news as this causes unnecessary panic. Being vaccinated against COVID-19 is still the best defense against the virus. We urge more people to get vaccinated, as 2,656,714 people have been vaccinated, with 2,211,940 of those fully vaccinated.”
According to Ndamase, there has only been one case of COVID-19 reported in May in East London.
“The only recorded confirmed case in East London this month is in Amalinda. Since January, there have been a total of 28 confirmed cases in East London. These include eight cases in January and February respectively, seven in March, and four in April, and one this month,” Ndamase said.
He said it is important to note that COVID-19 was never declared over and has been present since March 2020. To stop the spread of the virus, people are urged to continue practicing the non-pharmaceutical measures of wearing masks and regular hand washing or using an alcohol-based sanitizer.
Ndamase said the department encourages people, particularly the elderly and those with underlying conditions, to get the flu vaccine.
