NSW Health has partnered with the social media video platform TikTok to live stream daily press conferences. No word yet on whether Gladys will be flossing during briefings.
The livestreams will be hosted on NSW Health’s new TikTok account, @nswhealth, which aims to provide crucial information on COVID-19 case numbers, hot spots, rules and restrictions, vaccination updates and how the community can best stay safe during these tough times.
TikTok is the sixth largest social media platform in the world, with 800 million active users world wide. 66% of those users are under the age of 30, but the platform also has strong engagement with those in their 40s.
Approximately 1.7 million Aussies use the platform and with both federal and NSW Health messaging highlighting young people as a concerning source of COVID-19 infections, it makes sense that the government is now utilising TikTok to spread its messaging.
“We believe that we are at our strongest when we work together,” Brent Thomas, Global Public Policy Director of TikTok Australia and New Zealand said.
“Right now, supporting the NSW community with useful and credible information on COVID-19 is one of our biggest priorities”.
Following a LIVE Q&A with NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kerry Chant, TikTok will be live streaming the NSW government’s daily 11am COVID-19 press conferences from today, Wednesday, August 4, bringing important COVID-19 updates to the TikTok community.
In addition to the daily TV broadcast, the TikTok livestream aims to support the dissemination of accurate, timely and important public health messages to wider audiences and raise awareness amongst TikTok’s diverse community.
“With the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta strain circulating in NSW and the steep increase in COVID-19 case numbers, it’s more important now than ever to ensure our community stays safe and helps stop the spread of COVID-19,” Thomas said.
NSW recorded 199 cases yesterday, with 111 of those being “mystery cases” with no known links to existing infectious people.
Because the outbreak could take weeks to get under control, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said that vaccination is our best route out of the pandemic.
She has highlighted a need for boosted vaccine numbers and hopes that NSW will be able to hit six million vaccines by the end of the month. The state has currently administered just shy of four million doses but will need to deliver approximately 80,000 per day if it is to hit that target.
Currently, NSW is on track for 70% vaccination coverage of at least one dose by early September.
“The fact is that COVID-19 can cause severe illness and death in people of all ages,” Thomas said.
“The Delta strain is not just affecting older members of society but also younger people. This means you and me, our friends, our colleagues and the wider community all need to stay informed and listen to our trusted health experts to get through this.
“At Tiktok, we welcome the opportunity to support governments and health bodies around Australia in this vital work and to help spread the message. Globally we’ve been partnering with NGOs and experts to help fight COVID-19, and it’s great to be collaborating with local authorities who recognise the role we can help play in these efforts.
“Making sure people are safe, connected and have access to credible information on COVID-19 will continue to be a focus for TikTok as the pandemic evolves”.
You can watch the 11am press conference live on TikTok here.
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