Awareness of COVID-19 among Pharmacy Students of Pakistan

Background: COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered Coronavirus and has been a global threat. The objective of our study is to assess the knowledge and practice of pharmacy students in different Universities of Pakistan related to the nature and management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted from March to July 2020 by using an online as well as a self-administered questionnaire. Undergraduate pharmacy students were considered as the study population. The questionnaire was outlined with 6 sections including demographics; symptoms; risk; action and prevention; treatment options; and distinguishing characteristics of COVID-19, cold, and flu. The data were coded, entered, and analyzed using a statistical package for social sciences SPSS (IBM, version 22). Finding: Out of 1266 total respondents, the majority 863 (68.2%) were female pharmacy students with ages ranging from 18-26 years. The mean percentage of knowledge, awareness, and perception of the study sample about the symptoms, risk, transmission, prevention, and action against COVID-19 was found to be 56.43%. Conclusion: The low level of awareness immediately demands the update of the respective curriculum, conduct evidence-based learning, webinars, and mock drills to all the professionals as well as to the students of different disciplines by the Government and health departments. Students of health science should utilize their academic knowledge with a professional touch to assist the community to contain the disease. They can ensure the safety of people voluntarily by different public awareness programs to overcome such a global crisis.