A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY OF AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PERCEPTION ON COVID-19 VARIANTS VIA MEDIA SOURCES IN ADULTS OF NASHIK CITY, MAHARASHTRA

Background: With the onset of Covid-19 pandemic, multiple variants have emerged due to mutations. Post emergences of every variant, there have been situations of public crisis and fear in people across the world. Accurate information shared about the Covid-19 variants was one of the key factors to address public havoc. Aim: This study aimed to assess awareness, knowledge, and perception about the Omicron and Delta variants of Covid-19 in the adult population of Nashik city, Maharashtra. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional online survey was designed and distributed to 77 participants via email and social media platforms. Results:The majority of respondents 86.2% fell within the age range of 18 to 40 years. 90% of subjects regularly followed the media platforms of news, and social media applications- WhatsApp/ Twitter/ Facebook to receive the updates on Covid-19 variants. The education status of these participants was not found to be related to the use of social media platforms including news to gain information about the Covid-19 variants. 79% replied correctly for Omicron and Delta variants of Covid-19, 15% were unsure and 6% said no. Conclusion: The majority of our study subjects followed the media for updates on Covid-19 disease. Social media apps – WhatsApp, Facebook, and news have signicantly played a role in educating about Covid-19 variants information. We observed a high level of awareness and perception of Covid-19 and its variants while a mid to low level of knowledge about the variants. We found a low correlation between education status and knowledge-based responses. These ndings are valuable for examining the behavior of adults following the media and actual knowledge of disease gained by the people.