General Public Knowledge of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) at Early Stages of the Pandemic: A Random Online Survey in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: A novel coronavirus was identified at the end of 2019 in Wuhan City, China. Later, it was named as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and declared a pandemic in March 2020. Saudi and global health agencies have provided various COVID-19 knowledge tools and facts to the general public. Therefore, this study aims to assess COVID-19 knowledge among the general public in Saudi Arabia at the early stages of the pandemic. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2020 in Saudi Arabia. The study included 1006 participants who responded to a random online COVID-19 public knowledge questionnaire that included five sections: demographic characteristics, general knowledge, prevention practices, home quarantine measures, and knowledge of governmental restrictions. Three levels of knowledge were established: excellent, intermediate, and poor. Differences in the percentages of participants with different knowledge levels by the demographic variables were analyzed using the chi-square test. RESULTS: Regarding overall general knowledge of COVID-19, 75%, 24%, and 1% of the participants had excellent, intermediate, and poor knowledge levels, respectively. Knowledge levels were significantly different by nationality and age (P=0.027 and 0.008, respectively). Most participants (98.4%) reported excellent knowledge of prevention practices, with no statistically significant differences among groups (P>0.005). Older age groups reported higher knowledge of home quarantine measures (86.6% and 86.4% of the 51–60 and older than 60 age groups, respectively, P=0.001). CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: High levels of knowledge about the virus, including prevention practices, are essential. The provision of COVID-19 facts and knowledge tools should be focused on younger generations to enhance compliance with the governmental restrictions required to stop the spread of COVID-19.