The Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory virus causing symptoms ranging from mild colds to severe respiratory illnesses, has recently been detected in India. As of January 7, 2025, seven cases have been reported across the country. The initial cases involved two infants in Bengaluru, Karnataka, followed by detections in Ahmedabad, Gujarat; Chennai and Salem, Tamil Nadu; and Nagpur, Maharashtra. These cases emerged amid reports of increased HMPV infections in China, leading to concerns about potential outbreaks. However, Indian health authorities have stated that the domestic cases are not linked to the situation in China and emphasise that HMPV is a known virus with established treatment protocols.
Amidst this, a video showing chaotic scenes with individuals in PPE suits dragging a woman has gone viral on social media, claiming to depict the recent situation in China following the HMPV outbreak.
A Thread user has also shared the video.
Similar posts can be seen here and here. (Archive link)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the claim, and found it to be false.
Conducting a Reverse Image Search of the viral video keyframes, the NM team identified a YouTube video uploaded by the Hebrew media organisation, Here News, dated November 28, 2022, with a title: “Demonstrations in China: Deadly fire ignites protests against coronavirus restrictions.”
The video description states: “In an unprecedented move, the Chinese have taken to the streets to protest in dozens of locations across the country, including capital Beijing, against the authorities’ strict coronavirus restrictions. The reason for the uprising is the death of 10 people in a fire, who, due to the lockdown, were unable to escape their homes. Is the Chinese regime’s zero-contagion policy starting to backfire?”
The viral video’s presence in 2022 confirms that it is not recent but dates back to protests during the Covid-19 outbreak in China.
Further investigation revealed multiple media reports featuring stills from the viral video on platforms like Next Shark, Yahoo, Mirror and Daily Star all dated November 2, 2022.
According to these reports, the video depicts a woman being forcibly taken to a quarantine camp by officials dressed in hazmat suits under China’s strict zero-Covid policy. The reports also highlighted that, during 2022 and the preceding years, individuals testing positive for Covid-19 — regardless of whether they showed symptoms — were often forcibly sent to quarantine camps as part of the country’s stringent containment measures.
The same video was also found on X in November 2022, shared with the same context. The caption reads: “Under Xi Jinping’s rule, every night, thousands of people are being dragged into Covid quarantine camps.” This further confirms that the video is unrelated to the recent HMPV outbreak in China.
Under Xi Jinping’s rule, every night, thousands of people are being dragged into Covid quarantine camps pic.twitter.com/Vp7HfMTasa
— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) October 22, 2022
Thus, the viral video is not connected to the HMPV outbreak but rather pertains to China’s strict Covid-19 quarantine measures in 2022.
If you want to fact-check any story, WhatsApp it now on +91 11 7127 9799
Click here for Latest Fact Checked News On NewsMobile WhatsApp Channel
