KAP-COVIDGLOBAL: a multinational survey of the levels and determinants of public knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: The adherence to public health recommendations to control COVID-19 spread is influenced by public knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP). We performed this cross-sectional study to assess the levels and determinants of public KAP towards COVID-19 in a large, multinational sample. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study (survey). SETTING: The questionnaire was distributed to potential respondents via online platforms. PARTICIPANTS: 71 890 individuals from 22 countries. METHODS: We formulated a four-section questionnaire in English, followed by validation and translation into seven languages. The questionnaire was distributed (May to June 2020) and each participant received a score for each KAP section. RESULTS: Overall, the participants had fair knowledge (mean score: 19.24±3.59) and attitudes (3.72±2.31) and good practices (12.12±1.83) regarding COVID-19. About 92% reported moderate to high compliance with national lockdown. However, significant gaps were observed: only 68.2% knew that infected individuals may be asymptomatic; 45.4% believed that antibiotics are an effective treatment; and 55.4% stated that a vaccine has been developed (at the time of data collection). 71.9% believed or were uncertain that COVID-19 is a global conspiracy; 36.8% and 51% were afraid of contacting doctors and Chinese people, respectively. Further, 66.4% reported the pandemic had moderate to high negative effects on their mental health. Female gender, higher education and urban residents had significantly (p≤0.001) higher knowledge and practice scores. Further, we observed significant correlations between all KAP scores. CONCLUSIONS: Although the public have fair/good knowledge and practices regarding COVID-19, significant gaps should be addressed. Future awareness efforts should target less advantaged groups and future studies should develop new strategies to tackle COVID-19 negative mental health effects.

Synthesis, characterization, biological activity and equilibrium studies of metal(II) ion complexes with tridentate hydrazone ligand derived from hydralazine.

In the present study, a new hydrazone ligand (2-((2-phthalazin-1-yl)hydrazono)methyl)phenol) prepared by condensation of hydralazine (1-Hydralazinophthalazine) with salicylaldehyde (SAH). The synthesized SAH-hydrazone and its metal complexes have been characterized by elemental analyses, IR, (1)H NMR, solid reflectance, magnetic moment, molar conductance, mass spectra, UV-vis and thermal analysis (TGA). The analytical data of the complexes show the formation of 1:1 [M:L] ratio, where M represents Ni(II), Co(II) and Cu(II) ions, while L represents the deprotonated hydrazone ligand. IR spectra show that SAH is coordinated to the metal ions in a tridentate manner through phthalazine-N, azomethine-N and phenolic-oxygen groups. The ligand and their metal chelates have been screened for their antimicrobial activities using the disc diffusion method against the selected bacteria and fungi. Proton-ligand association constants of (SAH) and the stepwise stability constants of its metal complexes are determined potentiometrically in 0.1 M NaNO(3) at different temperatures and the corresponding thermodynamic parameters were derived and discussed. The order of -ΔG° and -ΔH° were found to obey Mn(2+)