Fraser Health is looking for "health influencers" to share coronavirus messaging

In response to a continued upward trend in COVID-19 cases among young adults, Fraser Health is asking people in this demographic to become “health influencers.”

Those who are part of the group, the health authority said, “will advise Fraser Health on new shareable social media content” to help bend the curve of COVID-19.”

“In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people ages 20 to 29 represented just 12 per cent of COVID-19 cases in our region,” said Fraser Health President and CEO Dr. Victoria Lee.

In fact, she said, there has been a 30% case increase in recent weeks within this demographic even though it comprises just 14% of the Fraser Health region’s overall population.

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

As such, Lee said the health authority is asking people ages 20 to 29 to visit their website “and join our effort to stop transmission and bend the curve of COVID-19. Fraser Health will connect with this group to consult on messaging and tactics that will be effective in sharing COVID sense messaging.”

• See also:
  • BC health officials report 124 new coronavirus cases
  • Canada’s international travel restrictions extended to end of September
  • New map shows where coronavirus cases are specifically found in BC

The request comes after a recent statement by BC Health Minister Adrian Dix, who said that “since seeing the growth of COVID-19 positive cases among young people, we reached out to people in the region for new ways of engaging their peers.”

And what’s been found, he said, “is a real willingness to join in. 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.”

The request comes the same day that BC health officials announced that 124 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the province – the largest one-day increase in BC numbers since the pandemic began.

In a joint written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and BC Health Minister Adrian Dix said this equates to 1,791 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 2,878 in the Fraser Health region, 174 in the Island Health region, 433 in the Interior Health region, 142 in the Northern Health region and 78 cases of people who reside outside of Canada.