DUBAI — According to global health authorities and experts, the best response to the global COVID-19 pandemic is to stay safely indoors and practice social distancing. To engage users during this time, short video platform Likee has launched a dedicated in-app dashboard titled ‘Fight Corona’, which compiles and provides the latest, authenticated data from the World Health Organisation, and provides validated tips on how to stay safe. Across the region, people are spending more time on social media, and the short video format is becoming increasingly popular. People are sharing content celebrating healthcare workers, and even the professionals from their own families and networks. Apart from this, there is also a rise in content on cooking, playing games, studies – essentially a range of ways in which people are entertaining themselves and their peers from the safety of their homes. Likee, the short video platform from Bigo Technology, has launched an in-app dashboard, which features comprehensive data related to COVID-19 and its impact on lives, such as the number of new cases, total cases, the number of recovered patients, and more. Another tab features details from different countries around the world. While a wide range of sources for such data exist online, the information on the Likee dashboard is directly sourced from the World Health Organisation, providing trustworthy information to users in-app. The dashboard also carries latest snippets of news and updates from prominent organizations and their COVID-19 responses. In addition, there is a section with videos of Likee users who share educational information such as the Dos & Don’ts related to the virus. Overall, the dashboard is optimized to counter as many myths related to COVID-19 as possible. Speaking about the initiative, Likee spokesperson Mike Ong said, “During these challenging times, we believe that it is our social responsibility to keep our users informed with authentic, relevant, and credible information. Since Likee is one of the most popular social media apps among the youth in the Middle East and North Africa region, the ‘Fight Corona’ dashboard will help them stay well-informed about the virus, educate themselves on what to do, and be encouraged to be responsible for the health and wellbeing of themselves and their loved ones.” The short video app has also witnessed a surge in corona-related hashtags that have been trending on the platform. One such trending hashtag is #FightCorona, which has clocked more than 102 million views, and the other is #CoronaFactAndRumours, which is aimed at debunking the various myths that abound on social media platforms. — SG