A survey-based study on the knowledge, attitude, and the practices pertaining to the 2019 novel Corona Virus infection amongst undergraduate medical students in India

Latika Gupta; Vishwesh Agarwal; Samira Davalbhakta; Vikas Agarwal; Durga Misra

Of 2507 invitees across six medical colleges in India, 616 (24.6%) responded. Most undergraduates (age 21.5 years, 46.1% males) were undergoing internship (16.7%) or final year undergraduate training (54.1%). Knowledge regarding viral transmission, clinical-radiologic features, laboratory diagnosis and treatment was adequate among most students (Fig 1) . However, the understanding of the incubation period and time to symptoms was less than satisfactory (Table 1) . Nearly three-fourths 461 (74.8%) were aware of the COVID-19 specific precautions. While their universities had advised most regarding hand hygiene, social distancing, symptom identification, and high-risk groups, fewer were advised to avoid staying back in hostels or drug prevention. Nearly 70% were reluctant to attend clinics from fear of getting infected or passing on to others. Most students read about COVID-19 regularly, and social media accounts of medical journals were the primary (78.9%) source.