Public awareness in Egypt about COVID-19 spread in the early phase of the pandemic.
Marwa O Elgendy, Ahmed O El-Gendy, Mohamed E A Abdelrahim
PMID 32912808WHAT IT FOUND
Egyptian public awareness of early COVID-19 was high overall, but 27.20% thought handwashing with or without soap was equally effective, and 27.9% saw infection as a stigma.
Key findings
01Average knowledge score was 31.75/39 (81.4%).
0227.20% answered yes to handwashing with or without soap having the same effect in preventing spread.
0327.9% considered coronavirus infection a stigma.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The survey was online only because face-to-face contact was not possible during isolation. The authors note that online collection was easier for younger people, and most participants were young. The sample was mostly female, unmarried, college students, and city dwellers. It was done in March and April 2020, during an early phase of the pandemic.
Declared interests
No external funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the high overall awareness score as proof that every preventive message was understood. The survey still found important gaps in handwashing beliefs and stigma.