COVID-19 and public awareness.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine and assess the level of awareness and knowledge regarding COVID-19 the among residents of Lahore. Study Design: Descriptive Cross Sectional study. Setting: Different Institutions in Lahore. Period: March 2020. Material & Methods: The present study was organized by the Department of Microbiology, Pakistan kidney and liver institute & research center. Respondents filled a pre-tested structured questionnaire consisting of 21 multiple-choice questions. The variables were accessed their knowledge of disease regarding etiology, mode of transmission, prevention and control measures of COVID-19 infection. A total of 1875 questionnaires were collected. Results: The data showed that 49.6% of respondents were male and rest 50.4% were females. From the total data 6.56% of respondents were doctors by profession. While 14.4% were nurses, 6.08% laboratory & other medical staff and 72.96% were students. 74.68% of respondents give correct answers on their knowledge about COVID-19, while 13.92% of respondents were wrong. 65.6% were aware about cause of COVID-19. However, 34.4% of participants were not aware of its cause. 60.0% of our respondents were not aware about symptoms and treatment. 89.04% of participants have no knowledge about transmission. 26.96% of respondents even didn’t know how to prevent this pandemic disease. Conclusion: Awareness campaigns should be conducted to make people aware of the ways COVID-19 spreads, its mode of transmission, severity of infection and preventive measures to minimize its spread as well as chances to acquire COVID-19 infections. It is important to understand the need to educate people, especially from lower socio-economic statuses as they might not know about these infections and how its spreads.