Is Pakistan prepared for the COVID-19 epidemic? A questionnaire-based survey

74Citations
Citations of this article
425Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

COVID-19 is a pandemic that began in China in December 2019. World health organization (WHO) has expressed fears that Pakistan might emerge as the next epicenter of this pandemic. We hypothesize that at present the Pakistani masses are not prepared to face any threat of a looming epidemic. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the basic knowledge of educational and health care workers (HCWs) regarding COVID-19, its control, and prevention. Knowledge about origin, symptoms, and spread of viral infection was assessed. In this cross-sectional survey, a self-designed questionnaire was distributed among 302 HCWs including physicians (10.9%), nurses (1.32%), lab staff (1.65%), and academic individuals including faculty and students (86.42%) of different organizations. Results were analyzed using the χ2 test. Obtained results validate our null hypothesis that Pakistani masses are not well aware of the COVID-19 and strategies for the prevention and control of infection. The study concluded that individuals belonging to the front-line workers and high literacy groups are not prepared for the alarming situation in the country. Effectual implementation of infection control programs should be practiced, and it depends on awareness, training, and cooperation of individuals.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Khan, S., Khan, M., Maqsood, K., Hussain, T., Noor-ul-Huda, & Zeeshan, M. (2020). Is Pakistan prepared for the COVID-19 epidemic? A questionnaire-based survey. Journal of Medical Virology, 92(7), 824–832. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.25814

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free