In February, the Gov.sg TikTok channel, set up in April last year, posted a video in response to a comment from a TikTok user who claimed that 29 elderly people had died in Norway because of side effects from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The short video, set to catchy background music, says the World Health Organisation and the Norwegian authorities have found no evidence that this was the case.

It also includes screenshots from official sources, which say that a high proportion of nursing home residents in Norway who received jabs during the first round of vaccinations were very frail or terminally ill patients.

Their deaths were due to underlying illnesses, say sources quoted by the Gov.sg video, which adds that an average of 45 people die in Norwegian nursing homes or other similar institutions every day.

The video, which has received a slew of positive comments from TikTok users and has got more than 3,400 likes since it was posted, is one of several videos created by a team of officers at the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

Other videos include short skits or dances.

A team of 10 MCI officers conceptualise, film and edit the content for the Gov.sg TikTok channel in-house, in addition to their other responsibilities, said the MCI in response to queries.

Ms Stephanie Lim, 32, assistant director of the campaigns and production department at the MCI, said: "We see TikTok as a platform for the Government to connect with youth...

"The Gov.sg team monitors trends on TikTok regularly and rides on them to conceptualise entertaining and engaging short-form videos carrying messages that can benefit and inform our audience on the platform."