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| - Two social media about the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) are being shared, which have gathered views in millions when this story was being written, mainly on Meta's image and video sharing platform Instagram.
The first claim featured a video report from the news channel Republic Bharat, which mentioned a purported six-day lockdown in Delhi due to the virus.
The other post also mentioned whether a lockdown would be imposed in India. The video stated that the spread of HMPV was similar to that of COVID-19 and equated the two.
(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)
Are the claims true?: No, the claims are false.
The Republic video dates back to 2021 when a six-day lockdown was imposed in Delhi to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.
The second video falsely equates the HMPV virus with COVID-19.
No lockdown for HMPV is being imposed in India as of 14 January.
What we found: We checked both the claims separately and found the following.
Claim 1: We went through Republic Bharat's YouTube channel manually and found the bulletin in the "Ye Bharat Ki Baat Hai" playlist, a show hosted by journalist Syed Suhail.
The video was uploaded on 19 April 2021 with the title, "Now Delhi is 'locked'! Watch Ye Bharat Ki Baat Hai with Syed Suhail"
The report featured the mood on the ground following the Delhi government's annoucement of a six day lockdown to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The video showed visuals of the city's Anand Vihar where people could be seen planning to return to their homes.
Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Raghav Chaddha also made an appearance in the bulletin.
Additionally, the viral video carried a ticker in Hindi that mentioned, "Corona," which hinted that the video was not recent.
Claim 2: We checked the statement of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on HMPV and found that it had not raised any severe concerns and noted that they were monitoring the situation in China. The statement did not appeal to different countries about imposing lockdowns or taking rampant measures against HMPV.
The report contained that HMPV was a prevalent respiratory virus that was known to spread in numerous countries during the winter and spring months.
About the situation in China, it said that according to data which included information up to 29 December 2024, there had been a rise in acute respiratory infections in recent weeks, along with a surge in the detection of seasonal influenza, rhinovirus, RSV, and HMPV, especially in northern regions of China.
It stated, "The WHO is in communication with Chinese health authorities and has not been informed of any unusual outbreak trends. Chinese officials state that the health care system is not overloaded and no emergency declarations or actions have been initiated."
According to the fact-check report by The Healthy Indian Project (THIP) on this video, it debunked that the virus was not new and had been circulating for decades.
It also mentioned that there was no indication that HMPV led to a pandemic in China or elsewhere. Although respiratory viruses like HMPV may cause seasonal outbreaks, they do not propagate as extensively or intensely as COVID-19.
HMPV in India: As of 14 January, over 15 cases have been identified in various regions of India. Three cases have been documented in Puducherry and five in Gujarat. Assam recorded its initial case of the season on 14 January.
In the meantime, China reported that the infection rate in the northern region of the country is falling, reported Mint.
No reports of a lockdown have emerged yet.
Conclusion: False claims about the HMPV have spread on social media that a lockdown was going to be imposed in India like COVID-19.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on , or e-mail it to us at and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories .)
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