https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/moh-covid-19-pofma-facebook-3-year-old-died-kkh-2114221
SINGAPORE: A correction direction has been issued to Facebook over a post that falsely claimed a 3-year-old girl had died from COVID-19 at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) and that the death was not reported.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue the correction direction to Facebook, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (Aug 15).
Facebook is required to carry the correction notice to all end-users in Singapore who use the platform.
"The Government takes a serious view of the deliberate communication of these false statements, and criminal investigations under POFMA will be conducted," said MOH. The Facebook post, by a user named Eileen Loh, has been circulating online claiming that a three-year-old had died from COVID-19 at KKH. The post had been shared close to 200 times as of Saturday evening.
As of Saturday, there has not been any case of any child that has died from COVID-19 at KKH or any other hospital in Singapore, said the Ministry of Health on Sunday.
The post also claimed that the "Delta Plus" variant of COVID-19 is now in Singapore, said MOH. "As of Aug 14, MOH has not identified the 'Delta Plus' variant in any of Singapore’s known COVID-19 cases," it added. The ministry also urged members of the public to not spread unsubstantiated information, which may cause public alarm. The public can also visit www.moh.gov.sg for latest updates on the COVID-19 situation.
SINGAPORE: A correction direction has been issued to Facebook over a post that falsely claimed a 3-year-old girl had died from COVID-19 at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) and that the death was not reported.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue the correction direction to Facebook, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (Aug 15).
Facebook is required to carry the correction notice to all end-users in Singapore who use the platform.
"The Government takes a serious view of the deliberate communication of these false statements, and criminal investigations under POFMA will be conducted," said MOH. The Facebook post, by a user named Eileen Loh, has been circulating online claiming that a three-year-old had died from COVID-19 at KKH. The post had been shared close to 200 times as of Saturday evening.
As of Saturday, there has not been any case of any child that has died from COVID-19 at KKH or any other hospital in Singapore, said the Ministry of Health on Sunday.
The post also claimed that the "Delta Plus" variant of COVID-19 is now in Singapore, said MOH. "As of Aug 14, MOH has not identified the 'Delta Plus' variant in any of Singapore’s known COVID-19 cases," it added. The ministry also urged members of the public to not spread unsubstantiated information, which may cause public alarm. The public can also visit www.moh.gov.sg for latest updates on the COVID-19 situation.
