Last Updated on August 5, 2024 by Nivedita
Quick Take
A social media post claims that there is a new COVID variant called ID-10T. We fact-checked and found the claim to be False.
The Claim
An Instagram post claims that there is a new COVID variant called ID-10T. The same post has been shared by another social media user on Instagram.
We have attached a screenshot of the post below:
Fact Check
Is there a new COVID variant called ID-10T?
No. There is not a new COVID variant called ID-10T. It would be incorrect to say that new variants of COVID-19 are no longer being discovered. New variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have indeed been found in recent months; however, none of them have been named as ID-10T.
A COVID variant named ID-10T is a hoax that has been circulating online for quite some time now. We could not find the earliest iteration of the hoax. The article was clearly meant to be a joke, but some people took it seriously and began sharing it on social media. In one of the False posts, it was also depicted that the variants of the novel Coronavirus started appearing only after the vaccines were invented.
We further researched and found that ID-10T is a slang term for ‘idiot’ that is often used by technical support staff to refer to an error caused by the user, rather than an actual problem with the equipment. It is a play on words, as the letters and numbers resemble the phonetic alphabet: I = eye, D = dee, 10 = ten, and T = tango. The term is typically used in a humorous way, but it can also be used in a more dismissive or even offensive way. The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) publishes the most recent update on COVID-19 variants of concern. The list of names that have been officially approved for different COVID variants is available on the ECDC website.
In number of posts on social media users are also claiming about the new variant of Coronavirus that has been discovered in China and named Hihi.
A fake post claimed that no one tests positive for an old variant once a new one comes along. Which means that when a new variant comes the previous variant disappears.