Assessment of general awareness among Pakistani students regarding COVID-19 outbreak

At the end of 2019, a novel infectious agent known as severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originated from Hubei, China; from where it spread to other regions of the globe. In March 2020, World health organization (WHO) expressed fears that Pakistan might emerge as the next epicenter of corona virus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since proper preventive and curative measures are currently unavailable, only remedy is self-isolation which necessitates ample awareness among people. In this regard, Pakistan faces a unique challenge as it is a populous country with a record of contagious outbreaks in the past. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the general understanding regarding the cause, spread, control and psychological consequences of this pandemic in Pakistani population, especially in the youth that represents over 60% of the population. In this study, we have collected and analyzed responses related to awareness and attitude of students through a self-designed questionnaire. In total 1822 responses were collected and subjected to descriptive and frequency analysis. Outcomes of the survey suggest that majority of the respondents are well aware of the disease outbreak, complications and its mode of transmission. It is also evident from the obtained responses that youth of the country is willing to opt the precautionary measures and avoid mass gatherings.