The ministry said a three-minute WhatsApp voice note making the rounds is fake; it had first gone viral in 2021 and was widely circulated again to instigate public unrest.

The note claims that hospital wards are full and running out of beds for patients. In the audio recording, a man also claimed that there was an increase in brought-in-dead cases due to a new virus from an African country.

The ministry said: “The public is urged not to spread this false news, which can cause panic among the community, and to always be vigilant amid the ongoing spread of Covid-19.”

Earlier today, the ministry said “healthcare facilities are not strained” although there had been a 57.3% increase in Covid-19 cases to 3,626. Health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan said the number of warded patients with non-critical cases had risen by 0.9%, with a 0.4% rise in intensive care cases.

In his update for the week ending Nov 25, Radzi said 48% of the cases involved individuals aged between 20 and 40 years, and 98% experienced only mild symptoms.