Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Knowledge and Perceptions: A Survey of Healthcare Workers

Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula; Wafa Ali Aldhaleei; Jamal Rahmani; Mohammadjavad Ashrafi Mahabadi; Deepak Kumar Bandari

Medical students were found to have the perception that flu vaccination is not sufficient to prevent COVID-19 transmission (88%, p<0.05). A large number of allied health workers incorrectly believed that it is not safe to eat well-processed meat during the COVID-19 outbreak (25.3%, p<0.05), that COVID-19 is fatal (21.5%), that there is a delay in symptoms (19.8%), and that flu vaccination is sufficient (19.8%; p<0.05) compared with other participants in the respective groups. However, a finding of considerable concern is that 60% of HCWs used social media as a source of information. Currently, the vast diversity of information available through the Internet, including unverified malicious information, can spread quickly and can misguide HCWs. In particular, health authorities and scientists have warned that widespread misinformation about COVID-19 is a serious concern causing xenophobia worldwide [4, [16] [17] [18] [19] . In this regard, HCWs should carefully evaluate COVID-19-related information and should use scientific and authentic content as information sources.