The percentage acceptability of the non-pharmaceutical measures in containing the spread of COVID-19 in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

COVID-19 is an efficient super spreading disease with numerical superiority among past pandemics. Vaccination, medication, drug repurposing are the pharmaceutical measures currently in use in combating the spread of COVID-19. However, the populace is skeptical about their use. The study objective was testing the acceptability of non-pharmaceutical measures in containing the spread. The phase-1 of the study is sourced from secondary data using appropriate keywords on six electronic databases, including ‘effective non-pharmaceutical intervention strategic’, ‘symptoms of COVID-19’, and ‘COVID-19 mode of transmissions’. The phase-2 is a Questionnaire from the phase-1 outcome which was administered to 2000 people in the Abuja metropolis. Phase-1 showed that the non-pharmaceutical measures for combating COVID-19 disease were handwashing, facemask, personal hygiene, restricted mass gathering, workplace closures, contact tracing, travel restrictions, quarantine, alcohol hand-based sanitizers, physical distancing, and nutritional intervention. Phase-2 results on the acceptability of non-pharmaceutical measures by 2000 people were; handwashing (24%), facemask (5%), personal hygiene (18%), workplace closures (4%), contact tracing (6%), travel restrictions (9%), quarantine (8%), alcohol hand-based sanitizers (10%), physical distancing (5%), and nutritional intervention (11%). Workplace closures have the lowest acceptability. In conclusion, the lowest value of workplace closure is hinged on the family economy.