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Ashley Locke, 29, received her first injection this month as part of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine trial.
Since she began the trial on November 16 in Nashville, Tennessee, millions of people have watched her document her experience on TikTok.
“I’ve seen people post TikToks on different trips that they have, like trips to lose weight or move to a new school and things like that, so I was, like, this vaccine trial is a interesting thing. I’ll post about it, ”Locke said. “Maybe some people will find this interesting.”
The post garnered around 2.7 million views and was inundated with questions and comments about the vaccine trial.
An emerging group of TikTokers has gone viral for sharing information about Covid-19 vaccines. Vaccine hashtags have millions of views as young people search for trial information in a format they can understand. Several other TikTok users have posted videos of themselves participating in trials, and at least one video, in which a doctor assesses the differences between some of the vaccine trials, has received over a million views. .
One hashtag, #CovidVaccine, has over 36 million views.
Covid-19 vaccines are in the process of being approved and distributed. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Tuesday that a vaccine could receive emergency clearance from the Food and Drug Administration as early as December 10. Distribution could begin shortly thereafter, Azar said.
Viral TikToks not only fuel the appetite of young people for information about vaccines; they also have real-world influence – from users who say the videos persuaded them to get the shot after the injections were approved to young people who say they got them to sign up for vaccine trials, according to those who realize videos.
TikTokers who have posted articles on the trials are also releasing their videos to tackle misinformation about vaccines and Covid-19.
Recent viral videos spreading misinformation, like the one falsely claiming vaccines are how the US government microchips, have been widely ridiculed by young people who in some cases debunked unproven claims with facts that seem to come from some of the informative videos.
And although they say they sometimes have anti-vaccine activists in their comment sections, those making the videos said the comments were overwhelmingly positive, with many young people wondering how vaccines might work.
This is the case of Kate Bredbenner, 29, a doctor of biomedical sciences specializing in biophysics, who published a TikTok on November 11 explaining in layman’s terms how the Covid-19 vaccine that Pfizer is developing works. (Bredbenner said his explanation also applies to the Moderna vaccine, which was advertised as being effective just days after posting his video.)
Within days, the video had garnered several million views. By Wednesday, it had reached 3.2 million views.
“I posted it and it got good popularity right away, and I was, like, ‘Whoa, this is really intense.’ … I have no idea what went into the algorithm, but five days after I published it I started getting a ton of notifications, ”Bredbenner said.
Bredbenner said that just because she was a female on the internet, she anticipated that her video might receive some strange or obnoxious comments. But she said the comments section was almost exclusively filled with curious users asking how the vaccine might affect them.
“It makes me feel good. People have really real conversations, and people ask questions, and I think it’s kind of magical,” Bredbenner said.
Locke’s video was inundated with questions to the point that she made several more to give more information to her viewers. She said she also checks a profile before answering a question and was pleasantly surprised to learn that many of those curious about the vaccine appear to be of high school age.
She also devised a game plan to answer questions she is not qualified to answer.
“I spoke to the communications director [of Clinical Research Associates]. Next time I come in, I will be able to ask some of the questions that I will not be able to answer. I’m going to be able to ask my doctors and hopefully get them on my videos to be a little more informative and answer other scientific things that I don’t know, but still in a clear way it’s easy for our audience. Locke said.
Locke and Bredbenner said they received some “anti-vaxxer” comments on their videos, but both said others would often respond armed with facts to debunk the misinformation.
“It’s very interesting to see people discussing this,” said Bredbenner. “I got comments on the video that are like, ‘I was really confused about this before and unsure, but it made me feel a lot more confident in its operation. “”
Locke and Bredbenner said the videos not only educated people, but also seemed to have an influence in the real world.
TikTok users told Bredbenner that, although they were initially skeptical, they plan to be vaccinated against Covid-19 once it becomes available after watching his videos. Locke said several new trial participants signed up with Clinical Research Associates after seeing his TikTok.
Locke said she hopes that by sharing her experience, she alleviates any fears or doubts her viewers might have.
“There’s been a lot of comments with people like, ‘Oh, I don’t know, girl. I’m going to come back in a few months and see how you feel then, “and I hope they will check and they see that everything is fine and very normal,” Locke said. “I think this will be helpful for those. people on the fence and maybe some young people on TikTok who haven’t fully developed their beliefs in one way or another. “
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