Trends in non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) related community practice for the prevention of COVID-19 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Ethiopia since March 13, 2020, when the first case was detected in Addis Ababa. Since then, the incidence of cases has continued to increase day by day. As a result, the health sector has recommended universal preventive measures to be practiced by the public. However, studies on adherence to these preventive measures are limited. OBJECTIVE: To monitor the status of preventive practices of the population related to hand washing, physical distancing, and respiratory hygiene practices at selected sites within the city of Addis Ababa. METHODS: Weekly cross-sectional non-participatory observations were done during the period of April-June, 2020. Data was collected using the Open Data Kit (ODK) tool in ten public sites involving eight public facilities targeted for individual observations. Ten individuals were randomly observed at each facility over two days a week at peak hours of public services. WHO operational definitions of the preventive behaviors were adopted for this study. Observations were conducted anonymously at gates or entrances of public facilities and places. RESULTS: A total of 12,056 individual observations with 53% males and 82% in an estimated age range of 18-50 years age group were involved in this study. There was an increase in the practice of respiratory hygiene from 14% in week one to 77% in week 10, while those of hand hygiene and physical distancing changed little over the weeks from their baseline of 24% and 34%, respectively. Overall, respiratory hygiene demonstrated an increased rate of 6% per week, while hand hygiene and physical distancing had less than a 1% change per week, Females and the estimated age group of 18-50 years had practice changes in respiratory hygiene with no difference in hand hygiene and physical distancing practices. Respiratory hygiene took about six weeks to reach a level of 77% from its baseline of 24%, making an increment of about 9% per week. CONCLUSION: The public practice of respiratory hygiene improved threefold whereas hand hygiene and physical distancing revealed no change. Regularly sustained public mobilization and mass education are required to sustain the achievements gained in respiratory hygiene and further hand hygiene and physical distancing.

Evaluation of COVID-19 related knowledge and preparedness in health professionals at selected health facilities in a resource-limited setting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization has declared that infection with SARS-CoV-2 is a pandemic. Experiences with SARS in 2003 and SARS-CoV-2 have shown that health professionals are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Hence, it has been recommended that aperiodic wide-scale assessment of the knowledge and preparedness of health professionals regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic is critical. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and preparedness of health professionals regarding COVID-19 among selected hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from the last week of March to early April, 2020. Government (n = 6) and private hospitals (n = 4) were included. The front-line participants with high exposure were proportionally recruited from their departments. The collected data from a self-administered questionnaire were entered using EpiData and analyzed in SPSS software. Both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (chi-square tests) are presented. RESULTS: A total of 1334 health professionals participated in the study. The majority (675, 50.7%) of the participants were female. Of the total, 532 (39.9%) subjects were nurses/midwives, followed by doctors (397, 29.8%) and pharmacists (193, 14.5%). Of these, one-third had received formal training on COVID-19. The mean knowledge score of participants was 16.45 (±4.4). Regarding knowledge about COVID-19, 783 (58.7%), 354 (26.5%), and 196 (14.7%) participants had moderate, good, and poor knowledge, respectively. Lower scores were seen in younger age groups, females, and non-physicians. Two-thirds (63.2%) of the subjects responded that they had been updated by their hospital on COVID-19. Of the total, 1020 (76.5%) participants responded that television, radio, and newspapers were their primary sources of information. Established hospital preparedness measures were confirmed by 43-57% of participants. CONCLUSION: The current study revealed that health professionals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, already know important facts but had moderate overall knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic. There were unmet needs in younger age groups, non-physicians, and females. Half of the respondents mentioning inadequate preparedness of their hospitals point to the need for more global solidarity, especially concerning the shortage of consumables and lack of equipment.

COVID-19 and the public response: Knowledge, attitude and practice of the public in mitigating the pandemic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the global community in many ways. Combating the COVID-19 pandemic requires a coordinated effort through engaging public and service providers in preventive measures. The government of Ethiopia had already announced prevention guidelines for the public. However, there is a scarcity of evidence-based data on the public knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) and response of the service providers regarding COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the public KAP and service providers' preparedness towards the pandemic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from late March to the first week of April 2020. Participants were conveniently sampled from 10 different city sites. Data collection was performed using a self-administered questionnaire and observational assessment using a checklist. All statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficient and chi-square tests were performed. RESULT: A total of 839 public participants and 420 service providers enrolled in the study. The mean age was 30.30 (range = 18-72) years. The majority of the respondents (58.6%) had moderate knowledge about COVID-19, whereas 37.2% had good knowledge. Moreover, 60.7% and 59.8% of the participants had a positive attitude towards preventive measures and good practice to mitigate the pandemic, respectively. There was a moderate positive correlation between knowledge and attitude, whereas the correlations between knowledge and practice and attitude and practice were weak. With regard to service providers' preparedness, 70% have made hand-washing facilities available. A large majority of the respondents (84.4%) were using government-owned media followed by social media (46.0%) as a main source of information. CONCLUSION: The public in Addis Ababa had moderate knowledge, an optimistic attitude and descent practice. The information flow from government and social media seemed successful seeing the majority of the respondents identifying preventive measures, signs and symptoms and transmission route of SARS-CoV-2. Knowledge and attitude was not associated with practice, thus, additional innovative strategies for practice changes are needed. Two thirds of the service provider made available hand washing facilities which seems a first positive step. However, periodic evaluation of the public KAP and assessment of service providers' preparedness is mandatory to combat the pandemic effectively.