Pictured: Jon-Benard Kairouz, 24
A TikTok sensation with a bizarre talent for predicting the daily NSW Covid case numbers has been slammed by the state health minister as 'silly' and 'juvenile' after he was hospitalised with the virus following an anti-lockdown protest.
Jon-Benard Kairouz was moved from the ICU unit at St George Hospital in Kogarah, in Sydney's south, on Wednesday afternoon amid a gruelling battle with coronavirus.
The social media star is also due to face court in October for two counts of not complying with Covid-19 directions and one count of encouraging the commission of crimes after he attended a violent protest in Sydney's CBD on July 24.
When Brad Hazzard was asked whether he could sympathise with the 24-year-old's virus struggle during Thursday's press conference, the health minister did not hold back.
'I have sympathy for anybody who gets Covid. Covid can kill you,' he said.
'So even though I might be frustrated with that gentleman's juvenile way of approaching the situation, I think the rest of us in the community would say we still have sympathy with the fact that he's now got it.'
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard (pictured) called Mr Kairouz as 'juvenile' and 'silly' in a press conference
'Obviously, that puts him at risk, it puts close contacts at risk.'
Mr Hazzard also described Mr Kairouz's behaviour as 'silly' and urged everyone to take the pandemic seriously.
'There's a very strong message there and that is don't take this trivially, don't be silly about it, take every aspect of Covid-19 seriously, and that means get vaccinated,' he said.
The health minister and mr Kairouz have had a tense relationship since the entertainer started sharing his case number predictions on TikTok in July - with Mr Hazzard labelling his videos a 'disappointment'.
'Clearly someone in the system was feeling the need to disclose those figures to somebody who was not an appropriate person to be making commentary about it,' he said at the time.
Jon-Bernard Kairouz refers to himself as the People's Premier after he predicted the state's soaring case numbers for the past five consecutive days
Jon-Bernard Kairouz fired up anti-lockdown protesters during an illegal rally in Sydney in July (pictured)
It is still unclear how Mr Kairouz managed to accurately predict the Covid case numbers.
The feat hasn't been repeated by anyone else except for a handful of well-connected political reporters who have reliably forecast ballpark figures.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard denied that a 'trap' had been set for Mr Kairouz where false information was supplied to his source.
Mr Kairouz's lawyer, Eidan Havas, revealed on Wednesday his client was forced to give instructions from hospital where his father is also battling the virus, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
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