“Ministry of Health urges the public to refrain from spreading unverified information that may cause panic.”
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has issued a correction order under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) to Facebook regarding a post by user Eileen Loh, who falsely claimed that a three-year-old had died from Covid-19 at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). The MOH clarified that the allegation was “completely untrue” and described it as “a total fabrication.”
According to the MOH, no child has died from Covid-19 at KKH or any other hospital in Singapore as of August 14. The false claim gained attention after it was posted on Facebook, prompting a response from prominent public figures, including Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek Holdings and wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who addressed the issue in her own post.
In the comments of the now-deleted Facebook post, Loh remarked that if her claim was indeed false, she would welcome MOH to “take down the post and sue [her].” The incident has led to calls for the public to avoid spreading unsubstantiated information that could create unnecessary fear and confusion.
