TikTok

Viral TikToks Offer Firsthand Accounts of Vaccine Trials, Debunk Misinformation

"People are genuinely having real conversations and people are asking questions and I think that’s kind of magic,” Kate Bredbenner said

This May 27, 2020, photo taken in Paris shows the logo of the social network application TikTok on the screen of a phone.
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An emerging group of TikTokers have gone viral for sharing information about the COVID-19 vaccines, NBC News reports. Hashtags about the vaccine have millions of views as young people seek information about the trials 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 weighs the differences among some of the vaccine trials, has received more than a million views.

One hashtag, #CovidVaccine, has more than 36 million views.

COVID-19 vaccines are nearing approval and distribution. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday that a vaccine could receive emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration as soon as Dec. 10. Distribution could begin soon after, Azar said.

The viral TikToks not only are feeding young people's hunger for information about the vaccines; they are also having real-world influence — from users who say the videos have persuaded them to get vaccinated once the injections are approved to young people who say they influenced them to sign up for vaccine trials, according to those making the videos.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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