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Fraser Health recruiting ‘health influencers’ to help bend the COVID-19 curve

People aged 20 to 29 now represent 30 per cent of the new cases
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Phone screen in hand. (Pixabay)

Fraser Health is looking for social media “health influencers.”

This is in response to a “continued upward trend” in COVID-19 cases among people aged 20 to 29 in the Fraser Health region, according to a release Friday (Aug. 28).

The group of volunteers would advise the health authority on “shareable social media content to help bend the curve of COVID-19.”

Dr. Victoria Lee, Fraser Health president and CEO, said that in the early days of the pandemic, people aged 20 to 29 represented about 12 per cent of the cases in the region.

“In recent weeks, we have seen a substantial increase in this demographic, with 30 per cent of new cases within this group, though they comprise just 14 per cent of Fraser Health’s population,” Lee noted.

“This shows that this demographic is becoming sick with COVID-19 at double the rate of the general population. We need to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep our friends and families safe.”

People can apply to be a health influencer and join the volunteer panel, visit fraserhealth.ca/healthinfluencer.

From there, the health authority will connect with the group to “consult on messaging and tactics that will be effective in sharing COVID sense messaging.”

Health Minister Adrian Dix said that since seeing the growth of positive COVID-19 cases among that age group, health authorities have reached out to people “for new ways of engaging their peers.

Vancouver Coastal Health has been using TikTok, sharing it on multiple social media platforms, in recent weeks.

“What we’ve found is a real willingness to join in,” said Dix. “People are connecting with the message that we are all influencers, and they want to apply their creativity and determination to help protect our communities, our elders, and those we care for most.”

This week, Fraser Health released videos on its official TikTok account (@fraserhealth) “aimed at preventing COVID-19 transmission among young adults who may be gearing up to celebrate the final days of summer by attending social gatherings.”



lauren.collins@surreynowleader.com

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Lauren Collins

About the Author: Lauren Collins

I'm a provincial reporter for Black Press Media's national team, after my journalism career took me across B.C. since I was 19 years old.
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