ACADEMIA Letters Assessment of the Level of Sensitization and Awareness on COVID-19 Among Adults in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria Sesan Busayo ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus also referred to as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a severe respiratory disease known as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (Abdelhafiz, Mohammed, Ibrahim, Ziady, et al., 2020). COVID-19 was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 31st December 2019 and announced as a global pandemic on 11th March 2020 (WHO, 2020). The contagious virus began its ravaging effect from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and then around the world (CDC, 2020) except Antarctica (Rahman & Bahar, 2020). METHOD: A descriptive research design was used for this study. It was a quantitative study that involves collection of primary data on the level of sensitization and awareness on COVID-19 among adults in osogbo, osun state, Nigeria,using 150 respondents. An interviewer administered questionnaire, was used in the cause of study. The questionnaire was written in English language, questions were asked based on the level of sensitization and awareness of adults in Osogbo, Osun state on COVID-19. RESULTS: From the Data retrieved, it was discovered that majority of the respondents (85%) of the respondents were well sensitized about COVID-19. 45% of the study population were not well informed about COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Due to the concern of everyone on the outbreak of covid19 which is affecting the economy of the world countries, claiming millions of lives, this present study is a survey to assess the level of sensitization and awareness on COVID-19 among adults in Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Sesan Busayo, busayosesan99@yahoo.com Citation: Busayo, S. (2021). Assessment of the Level of Sensitization and Awareness on COVID-19 Among Adults in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Academia Letters, Article 3547. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3547. 1 Osogbo, Osun State. The findings clearly show that a lot need to be done in order to overcome the outbreak because many people were ill informed about COVID-19. Also, some efforts need to made in the area of sensitization. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. It is recommended that all stake holders should intensify efforts in sensitizing the community members on the dangers of covid19. 2. It is recommended that government should strategically positions hand washing basin in all public places. 3. It is recommended that government should set up a task force committee to monitor compliance on the use of face mask and social distancing. KEYWORDS: COVID-19, Awareness and Sensitization. Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (abbreviated “COVID-19”) is an emerging respiratory disease that is caused by a novel coronavirus and was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The disease is highly infectious, and its main clinical symptoms include fever, dry cough, fatigue, myalgia, and dyspnea. In China, 18.5% of the patients with COVID-19 develop to the severe stage, which is characterized by acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock, difficult-to-tackle metabolic acidosis, and bleeding and coagulation dysfunction (Utibe, 2019). The first infected patient who had clinical manifestations such as fever, cough, and dyspnea was reported on 12 December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then, 2019-nCoV has spread rapidly to other countries via different ways such as airline traveling and now, COVID-19 is the world’s pandemic problem (Felix, 2020). Coronaviruses (CoV) infections are emerging respiratory viruses and known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (Wan, Liu, Liu, Zhou, et al., 2019). CoV is zoonotic pathogens that can be transmitted via animal-to-human and human-to-human. Multiple epidemic outbreaks occurred during 2002 (SARS) with 800 deaths and 2012 (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome: MERS-CoV) with 860 deaths (Rahman & Bahar, 2020). Approximately eight years after the MERS-CoV epidemic, the current outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China, has emerged as a global outbreak and significant public health issue. On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Astonishingly, in the first week of March, a devastating number of new cases have been reported globally, emerging as a pandemic. Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Sesan Busayo, busayosesan99@yahoo.com Citation: Busayo, S. (2021). Assessment of the Level of Sensitization and Awareness on COVID-19 Among Adults in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Academia Letters, Article 3547. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3547. 2 The COVID-19 is spread by human-to-human through droplets, feco-oral, and direct contact, with an incubation period of 2-14 days. Therefore, applying the preventive measure to control COVID-19 infection is the utmost critical intervention. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are the primary section in contact with patients and are an important source of exposure to the infected cases in the healthcare settings, thus, expected to be at a high risk of infections. By the end of January, the WHO and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) have published recommendations for the prevention and control of COVID-19 for HCWs. Indeed, the WHO also initiated several online training sessions and materials on COVID-19 in various languages to strengthen the preventive strategies, including raising awareness, and training HCWs preparedness activities (Wan, Liu, Liu, Zhou, et al., 2019). The Level of Sensitization on Covid-19 among Adults The United Purpose (UP), the executing agency of WSSCC’s Global Sanitation Fund programme in Nigeria (2020), completed a two-day sensitization tour in April to debunk myths and correct misconceptions about COVID-19 in communities in the states of Cross River and Benue. The initiative was carried out to put an end to the spate of wrong information about the coronavirus pandemic among the populace. The teams went out to educate people in their neighborhoods, and there was a sense of appreciation from the public, especially those who are uninformed about the very infectious virus by UP programme. It also believed that this event will help in addressing the belief in some quarters that coronavirus is not real (WHO, 2020). The awareness sessions held in Cross River were convened on April 9, in collaboration with the state’s Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Ministry of Information and Tourism. The Benue sessions, which took place on April 10, were convened in collaboration with the state’s Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (BERWASSA). The two state governments for taking the lead and creating the enabling environment that led to the partnership. The governments of Cross River and Benue have done very well for partnering with us to achieve our aim of reaching the grassroots,” he emphasized. According to the Communications Officer of United Purpose (UP), Boluwatito Awe, in Cross River, no fewer than 40 trained health care professionals joined the UP team during the event while, in Benue, the Ministry of Information and Tourism and BERWASSA mobilized its officials, equipment, and a number of civil society organizations (CSOs). During the event, common myths about coronavirus were debunked and information was provided on how to curb coronavirus and other preventable diseases through the practice of hand hygiene. In Benue, the UP team was divided into ten groups with each group visiting 10 clusters covering the state capital, Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Sesan Busayo, busayosesan99@yahoo.com Citation: Busayo, S. (2021). Assessment of the Level of Sensitization and Awareness on COVID-19 Among Adults in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Academia Letters, Article 3547. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3547. 3 Markurdi. Each group had a vehicle equipped with a sound system, playing State-approved jingles on COVID-19 to create awareness, says Shadrack Guusu, a UP technical officer in Benue. They also went with hand washing stations, stopped at junctions, markets and other relevant places to demonstrate proper hand washing (WHO, 2020). The view of people believe COVID-19 does not exist in Nigeria. They believe the virus can be cured by eating garlic. The temperature in Nigeria will not allow it to thrive. These are some of the denials from the community. According to His Royal Highness (HRH), Esau Mamman a traditional leader in Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State. The result, the 65-year-old leader says, is a frustration of sensitization efforts aimed at changing behaviours in the community which are critical to ensuring adoption of non-pharmaceutical interventions like social distancing, mask use, hand and respiratory hygiene. Misconceptions about COVID-19 such as the ones highlighted by the leader, known traditionally as the Ogomo Pengana of Bassa, are widespread in Plateau. It is these attitudes that informed the decision by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2020), the field office in the State to support the government to scale-up strategies to demystify COVID-19 through the guidance of traditional leaders who command great respect. The aim is to empower traditional leaders to participate in on-going sensitization exercises and to sustain that strategy by letting community members lead the campaign (Felix, 2020). Awareness of Covid-19 Among Adults In general, there is a lack of studies on the awareness of the Syrians towards infectious diseases. Novel Coronavirus or COVID 19 is the new strains of viruses which can infect humans. Bats are considered as natural hosts of these viruses yet several other species of animals are also known to be a source such as camels and civet cats. COVID 19 found in China is genetically closely related to the SARS-CoV-1 virus which caused thousands of deaths in 2002. The current COVID-19 pandemic caused so many reported cases around the world. The methods of transmission of COVID 19 viruses are transmitted from person-to-person and similar to seasonal influenza and may cause the same symptoms (Yang, Zheng, Gou, Pu & Chen, 2020). The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says it has achieved 99% awareness creation on COVID-19, but decried that Nigerians are still widely ignorant of the deadly virus and compliance to the preventive measures across the country has been low. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is helping the Nigerian government provide critical information about how to avoid contracting COVID-19 to more than a million of its citizens a day. The nationwide awareness-raising campaign is part of a broader U.S. government support, with $6.7 million already pledged, to bolster Nigeria’s efforts to prevent and respond to Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Sesan Busayo, busayosesan99@yahoo.com Citation: Busayo, S. (2021). Assessment of the Level of Sensitization and Awareness on COVID-19 Among Adults in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Academia Letters, Article 3547. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3547. 4 the spread of the virus. safe hygiene practices, and other preventive measures to contain the spread of the disease. The effort is part of the take responsibility campaign launched by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and designed by partners, including USAID that encourages social media users to play their part in stopping the spread of COVID-19. USAID, in collaboration with the NCDC and other partners, will develop and broadcast a series of radio jingles – short and accessible messages with a song at the end – aired in collaboration with local radio stations to reach specific audiences better. Additional corporate partnerships are anticipated to further amplify the messaging further. This support from USAID has further strengthened our capacity to respond to the needs and challenges of the outbreak, particularly in the area of risk management communications. These efforts, implemented by Breakthrough Action – Nigeria under a $500,000 USAID award through the Global Health Emergency Reserve Fund, align with the Government of Nigeria’s evolving response plans, which seek to implement measures to contain the outbreak. As with the Ebola virus outbreak, risk communication is a critical pillar of Nigeria’s COVID-19 response with an emphasis on sensitizing communities on preventive and protective measures, reducing stigmatization and dispelling myths and rumours related to the pandemic. USAID is coordinating with local authorities and partners to track and respond to misinformation, ensure communities know how to protect themselves from COVID-19, know how to seek assistance and take responsibility for local surveillance and reporting (Olapegba, Ayandele, Kolawole, Oguntayo, et al., 2020) References Abdelhafiz AS, Mohammed Z, Ibrahim ME, Ziady HH, Alorab M, Ayyad M, Sultan EA (2020). 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Assessment of the Level of Sensitization and Awareness on COVID-19 Among Adults in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Academia Letters, Article 3547. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3547. 5 Utibe, C.H (2019), Detection of a novel human coronavirus by real-time reverse- transcription polymerase chain reaction. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERSCoV), Wan G, Liu W, Liu Y, Zhou B, Bi Y, Gao GF (2015). MERS, SARS, and Ebola: The role of super-spreaders in infectious disease. Cell Host & Microbes. World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Situation Report–https://www.who.int/docs/default- source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200525covid-19-sitrep-126.pdf?sfvrsn=88 7dbd66_2. Yang J, Zheng Y, Gou X, Pu K, Chen Z,. (2020) Prevalence of comorbidities in the novel Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Infect Dis. 94: 91-95 Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Sesan Busayo, busayosesan99@yahoo.com Citation: Busayo, S. (2021). Assessment of the Level of Sensitization and Awareness on COVID-19 Among Adults in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Academia Letters, Article 3547. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3547. 6