At Least until the Second Wave Comes . . . ": A Twitter Analysis of the NHS and COVID-19 between March and June 2020

Title
At Least until the Second Wave Comes . . . ": A Twitter Analysis of the NHS and COVID-19 between March and June 2020
Publication Date
2021-04-09
Author(s)
McKay, Kathy
Wayland, Sarah
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7040-6397
Email: swaylan2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:swaylan2
Ferguson, David
Petty, Jane
Kennedy, Eilis
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
MDPI AG
Place of publication
Switzerland
DOI
10.3390/ijerph18083943
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/52636
Abstract

In the UK, tweets around COVID-19 and health care have primarily focused on the NHS. Recent research has identified that the psychological well-being of NHS staff has been adversely impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate narratives relating to the NHS and COVID-19 during the first lockdown (26 March-4 July 2020). A total of 123,880 tweets were collated and downloaded bound to the time period of the first lockdown in order to analyse the real-time discourse around COVID-19 and the NHS. Content analysis was undertaken and tweets were coded to positive and negative sentiments. Five main themes were identified: (1) the dichotomies of 'clap for carers'; (2) problems with PPE and testing; (3) peaks of anger; (4) issues around hero worship; and (5) hints of a normality. Further research exploring and documenting social media narratives around COVID-19 and the NHS, in this and subsequent lockdowns, should help in tailoring suitable support for staff in the future and acknowledging the profound impact that the pandemic has had.

Link
Citation
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8), p. 1-14
ISSN
1660-4601
1661-7827
Start page
1
End page
14
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International

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