Tweets on Covid-19 rose by over 600% in second wave

Tweets related to the Covid-19 pandemic in India recorded a whopping 600% increase from April 1 to May 31, a seven-time rise compared to the previous two months. The period coincided with the most serious surge in cases across the country.

The micro-blogging platform Twitter’s research identified, analysed and compared the tweets, which clearly brought out the sense of concern and anxiety related to the second wave. The amplified tweet numbers were also an indication of the pandemic-linked conversations. Replies to tweets went up by 1.5 times during the surge months.

Medical help was the key factor with tweets related to Covid-19 symptoms, treatment and other subjects increasing by 1,958%.

“#Covid19 was tweeted 77% more during the second wave, #Blood was tweeted 72% more as compared to the February-March period, #Plasma saw an 834% increase and #SOS was tweeted 152% more during this time,” a Twitter India spokesperson informed.

As vaccine distribution expanded and vaccination drives gained momentum, people followed and participated in Twitter conversations on vaccine awareness and availability.

“Tweets around #Vaccine and #Vaccination went up by 246%. To support this conversation, Twitter introduced a home Timeline prompt that points people to vaccine-related updates and information from authoritative sources.”

The platform was also used to raise funds employing multiple hashtags. “Fundraising conversations went up by 731% (eight times). Australian cricketer Pat Cummins’ (@patcummins30) tweet announcing his monetary support to India was the most Liked and Retweeted tweet during this period.”

Mental well-being remained top of mind for people and recorded a 153% (2.5 times) increase during the surge. “People tweeted with hashtags such as #DoctorsMentalhealth, #CovidCounselling, #CovidDepression, #CovidInsomnia, among many others.”

Tweets on #IndiaFightsCorona saw a 530% increase, among local and state-related conversations. “Hashtags #DelhiFightsCorona and #MaharashtraFightsCorona saw a significant increase in tweets — with conversations going up by 1,872% and 2,377%, respectively.”

With a critical mass of expert organisations, official government accounts, health professionals and epidemiologists on the service, people leveraged it to find accurate information on the latest developments, best Covid-19 practices, vaccination drives and other relevant information. “They tweeted with hashtags — #CoronavirusUpdates, #CoronaIndiaUpdate, #Covid19IndiaResources, among others — amping up conversations by 916%.”

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