Community awareness of covid – 19 for the herd of Haryana: a web based survey

Background: COVID – 19 (Corona virus disease – 19) is an infectious respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. It was originated from Wuhan city, China and thereafter spread across the world. The present study was conducted to assess the community perception, awareness and perceived risk about COVID – 19 among population residing in Haryana. Material and Method: This cross-sectional online survey was conducted among population residing in Haryana. This was a questionnaire based study comprised of 14 close ended questions. Respondent demographic characteristics, awareness, information sources, knowledge and perceptions related to COVID-19 were recorded. Data were tabulated in MS excel and descriptive statistics were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Results: Almost all participants heard about COVID – 19 (95.2%). Risk perception level towards COVID-19 was high. The majority of participants were aware of COVID-19 symptoms, able to correctly report modes of transmission and aware of measures for preventive measures. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the majority of the participants heard about COVID – 19. The study recommends that the government should use mass media like social media, internet, television, radio etc. on a large scale for spreading awareness regarding COVID – 19.