KUALA LUMPUR: Following is a statement issued by the agency concerned through the Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM) Quick Response Team at 6.30 pm yesterday to deny a viral news item on social media.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has denied a viral message entitled "Red Code Reminder to All Malaysia" which urged the public to stay away from mamak and nasi kandar shops as well as restaurants that employ staff from India.

The message claims that the G64 COVID-19 genome from India and Egypt is a super-spreading virus and no vaccine or treatment for the virus is available at least until 2023.

MOH said the message was an old one that had been denied by the ministry on Aug 27, 2020 but had resurfaced recently.

The public is advised not to disseminate any unverified information that could cause confusion and anxiety among the public and instead to refer to the MOH's official social media to obtain authentic information.

-- BERNAMA