There was a H1n1 based flu epidemic that killed 18.000 people. It probably originated in pigs in north America. Now there is a new strain, it seems to be able to jump from pig to human, but not from human to human.
An info nugget like this can generate clicks. It has the potential to freak people out: Covid-19 is not vanishing quickly. The public needs a new topic every couple of weeks. Covid-19 kills people. More and more globally, but people no longer want to hear about it. So this new thing will just be the ticket: Even larger, scarier. As everything that is undefined and nebulous.