Recently, social media platforms have been circulating alarming news claiming that a severe and deadly mutation of the Covid-19 virus is currently spreading in Sri Lanka. This claim appears to have gained traction in the context of reports that a new Covid-19 subvariant, JN.1, is spreading rapidly across several South Asian countries.

However, FactSeeker found no evidence from mainstream media or official government sources, including the Ministry of Health, to support the claim that this mutation has been detected in Sri Lanka.

To verify this, FactSeeker contacted Dr. Ranjith Paduwanthudawa, Director of the Health Education Bureau, who clarified the situation. According to Dr. Paduwanthudawa, while dengue, chikungunya, influenza, and Covid-19 continue to circulate within the population, no new or severe mutation has been identified. He also emphasized that viruses which were present during the Covid-19 pandemic may still exist in the community, but they are not newly emerging strains.

Upon tracing the source of the viral post, FactSeeker discovered that the content is based on a Facebook post dated March 30, 2021, by Dr. Ritesh Kumar, an Indian pulmonologist. The same outdated content is now being reshared, often in Sinhala translation, misleading the public into believing it’s recent.

Further, the Epidemiology Unit of Sri Lanka has confirmed that no new Covid-19 mutation has been identified in the country at this time.

The claim that a deadly new Covid-19 variant is spreading in Sri Lanka is not true. It is based on old information from 2021 and has been misleadingly reshared in the current context. FactSeeker urges the public to verify the date and source of health-related news before sharing it.