NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A new preliminary study suggests there are widespread misconceptions about COVID-19 that could undermine public health efforts to contain the outbreak, and delay the effectiveness of prevention and control measures.
In a statement, the university revealed the findings of research conducted by UB Associate Professor of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at University of The Bahamas (UB) Dr Theresa Moxey-Adderley.
Based on her findings, the university further underscored consistent public education on the virus and how it spreads needs to be increased.
“Greater efficacy on public education is highly recommended,” Moxey-Adderley said.
“The almost total lack of knowledge about what a virus is in the group of 3,634 is also of concern.”
She said: “In order to effectively implement prevention and control measures, you must at least have a basic understanding of what the characteristics of the virus you’re trying to prevent and control are. It cannot replicate on a surface, and it requires you as the host to move it around in the environment.”
Moxey-Adderley conducted a preliminary study via an online questionnaire to 162 first to fourth year UB students in June.
Those students were between the ages of 18 and 56, and the study assessed their knowledge of COVID-19 prevention and control practices.
UB said a pre-test was also given to 3,634 members of the general public who had attended a COVID-19 workplace protocols training course to assess their specific knowledge.
Moxey-Adderley said it is noteworthy that even after they had been living with COVID-19 for four months, the majority of the participants knew very little about viruses, despite mandatory and organized training conducted by various government agencies to prepare for the reopening of businesses.
“This suggests that there is still much to do to educate the public so they can make informed decisions with regards to their role in the preventing and controlling the surge of cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas,” she said.
As of yesterday, there were 1,036 COVID-19 positive cases in The Bahamas.
There were 932 cases recorded since July 1 when the country reopened its borders to international commercial carriers – which has been marked as the start of the second wave of infections.
Moxey-Adderley continued: “Knowledge is a precursor to behavioral change, and plays a role on how one implements preventative precautions to reduce the spread of the virus.
“If we are going to reduce our numbers, there needs to be greater efficacy on public education on what is a virus. Just providing [public service announcements] on washing hands, maintaining physical distance and wearing a mask may not be enough.”
Some 80 percent of the UB students, and 98 percent of the non-medical participants responded incorrectly to the question: “Is coronavirus a living organism?”
While 88 percent of the UB students knew COVID-19 spreads via the respiratory droplets of infected people; some 58 percent of them didn’t know that the clinical symptoms of COVID-19 included symptoms similar to the common cold or flu.
Moxey-Adderley noted that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease – is not considered a living organism, but rather a highly contagious virus that is easily spread among people.
In the past four months, Moxey-Adderley noted quarantine and self-isolation as much as possible for a 14-day period has been touted as an effective way to slow the spread of the virus.
Yet, the study reveals that only two-thirds of the UB students who responded to the survey were able to identify clinical symptoms, and only 75 percent of them understood transmission routes and prevention and control measures.
“One aspect of risk for exposure to the virus is whether or not individuals have a basic knowledge about the virus and understand the value of preventative measures such as hand washing,” Moxey-Adderley said.
“A lack of understanding of these matters has the potential to undermine public health efforts to contain the pandemic. Successful determinants of prevention depend on knowledge of causation and dynamics of transmission.”
Additionally, 84 percent of the UB students endorsed healthy persons utilizing medical-grade face masks to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus at a time when the science on face masks was still inconclusive.
According to Moxey-Adderley, the UB students’ position on wearing face masks was actually influenced by what they heard in the media rather than empirical scientific data.
She further suggested the unclear benefits and usage of face masks could have created a false sense of security amongst the populace, leading to diminished preventative measures such as physical distancing and hand washing.
“This points to a potential danger, that unless the public is trained by professional infection control experts, via a controlled learning environment, their attitudes towards COVID-19 can be guided by less reliable sources, which may jeopardize public safety,” she said.
The survey also revealed that 42 percent of the UB students surveyed reported that they went into a crowded place and/or joined a long line in the seven days immediately preceding the study.
“Physical distancing is an intervention intended to control the spread of the coronavirus,” Moxey-Adderley said.
“By reducing the frequency of physical contact with a potentially infected person, the disease transmission can be suppressed, resulting in fewer cases.”
Moxey-Adderley noted she was not aware if there was any study conducted in The Bahamas to assess knowledge and control practices pertaining to COVID-19.
As such, the information obtained from the UB students may or may not reflect the knowledge that trained nurses or the general population may have of the disease.
