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A correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office was issued to People's Power Party chief Goh Meng Seng for making "false and egregious claims" about the Omicron Covid-19 variant, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday (Dec. 3).

Goh had made these false claims in a video he uploaded on Facebook on Nov. 27.

Made claims that Covid-19 and HIV combines to become another virus

MOH said Goh's video is misleading and sows public confusion about Covid-19, as well as mistrust in Covid-19 vaccines.

According to MOH, Goh made the following false claims:

• The Covid-19 and HIV viruses could combine and become another virus which has the characteristics of the HIV and Covid-19 viruses.
• The Covid-19 and HIV viruses could combine in a fully vaccinated patient to become an airborne HIV virus which is vaccine resistant.
• It has been scientifically established that the Omicron variant is most probably the combination of the HIV and Covid-19 viruses, which combination had happened before June 4, 2021.
• The currently available vaccines are totally useless against the Omicron variant.

MOH dismissed each of these claims and said they were made "without any scientific basis".

The health ministry added: "The government takes a serious view of these falsehoods and a police report has been made in relation to the video."

The POFMA office had instructed Goh to publish a correction notice, and he has since complied.

MOH clarifies

MOH addressed each of Goh's claims in turn.

"Genetic recombination (that is, the exchange of genetic information) of viruses is known to occur only in genetically related viruses. The HIV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses are not related, and it is implausible in biological terms that these viruses can undergo genetic recombination," said MOH.

MOH added that to date, there has been no scientific evidence that such a recombination between HIV and SARS-CoV-2 have occurred, contrary to what Goh said.

MOH also rubbished Goh's claim that HIV might become transmissible by droplets in the air.

"Viruses simply do not change drastically enough to take on vastly different properties. HIV is transmitted via bodily fluids, e.g., blood, semen, or vaginal secretions, and will remain to be so," wrote MOH.

They also added that there is "simply no scientific evidence" to claim that the Omicron variant is a combination of the HIV and Covid-19 viruses.

Neither is there any evidence to claim that the currently available Covid-19 vaccines are "totally useless" against the new variant.

"Studies are ongoing, and there is currently insufficient data on how the Omicron variant affects vaccine effectiveness. Most scientists believe that existing vaccines will retain some effectiveness against the Omicron variant, but protection may be less due to the large number of mutations in the Omicron variant," MOH explained.

Other POFMA orders against Goh

Goh, together with science fiction author Cheah Kit Sun, were recently issued POFMA orders on Nov. 29 after spreading falsehoods about Covid-19 vaccines.

In April 2021, Goh was served another POFMA order for claiming that Covid-19 vaccination played a significant part in the death of an 81-year-old man and led to a doctor suffering a stroke.

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Top photos via Goh Meng Seng/FB