AUTHOR=Mahmood Sammina , Hussain Tariq , Mahmood Faiq , Ahmad Mehmood , Majeed Arfa , Beg Bilal Mahmood , Areej Sadaf 

TITLE=Attitude, Perception, and Knowledge of COVID-19 Among General Public in Pakistan

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.602434

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2020.602434

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=The World Health Organization has acknowledged COVID-19 disease as a pandemic. Efforts are being made all over the world to raise awareness to prevent the spread of the disease. The goal of this study was to assess the attitude, perception and knowledge of Pakistani people towards COVID-19 disease. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in which a questionnaire of 17 questions was transformed online on google forms and was sent to random individuals online. A total of 1000 questionnaires from individuals throughout Pakistan were evaluated. The results revealed that 42.9% of the participants knew about COVID-19 through social media, the largest source of information. Most of the participants (48.3%) started working from home amidst the lockdown. 39.9% participants reported that they wash their hands every hour and 56.9% participants are using a surgical mask. About thermal scanners, 30.5% people answered they may be effective and 46.0% people think COVID-19 is a bioweapon. 59% participants think everyone is susceptible while 83.9% people recognize fever as a primary symptom. 65.2% people are practicing social distancing while 85.1% people think social gatherings causes spread of the disease. In general, participants had a good knowledge about the disease and a positive attitude towards protective measures. The effective measures are being taken by the government and the public, still, there remains a need for further awareness campaigns, and knowledge of safe interventions to combat the spread of disease.