Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Women in Kansas.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought forward the challenge of dispersing accurate medical information to the public rapidly. Credible and non-credible sources may impact public reactions to the virus. The purpose of this study is to assess those reactions of women located in or near Kansas. A survey was conducted in July 2020 with questions on knowledge of COVID-19, attitudes and behaviors towards COVID-19, and primary sources of information. 305 survey respondents met criteria for further analysis, and descriptive statistical analyses were applied. Participants were generally knowledgeable of the pandemic, with a mean knowledge score of 11.40 out of 13 (SD 1.3). The attitude statement with the highest rate of agreement was that "social distancing is an effective way of controlling COVID-19 spread" (n = 265, 86.9%) and that with the highest rate of disagreement was, "I am not worried about my friends' and family members health" (n = 253, 83.0%). The most-implemented behaviors as indicated by participants were avoiding contact with sick individuals and washing hands with soap and water often (n = 294, 96.4%), and the least implemented was avoiding meat consumption (n = 257, 84.3%). Finally, most participants indicated that health officials were their primary source of information (n = 215, 70.5%). Participants of this survey had fairly good knowledge of the virus. Attitudes of participants as a whole may be described as cautious without being overly fearful. Reported behaviors also align well with current public health recommendations. These responses may be reflective of where participants are receiving their information, which, for the majority, is from public health officials.

COVID-19 infection in pregnant women: Review of maternal and fetal outcomes.

Pregnant women, their fetuses, and newborns are likely to represent a high-risk population during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Literature on the outcomes of COVID-19 infections during pregnancy is slowly building up. The aim of the present review was to gather evidence from relevant articles published in English from January to August 2020 in Medline and Google Scholar. The review revealed that pregnant women who become COVID-19-positive are usually either asymptomatic or mild-to-moderately symptomatic, similar to non-pregnant women. Pneumonia is one of the most common outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19. However, it cannot be conclusively said that SARS-CoV-2 infection increases the risk of maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications. Pregnant women with COVID-19 with co-morbidities have increased risks of complications: there are regional variations in the rates of adverse outcomes reported. Though uncommon, the review shows that vertical transmission is possible. Additionally, the third trimester seems to be the most vulnerable period of infection. This aspect needs to be researched further to activate surveillance programs at the end of second trimester. Overall, it is necessary to monitor pregnant women before and after delivery, and their infants, during this pandemic.