INTRODUCTION
The COVID19 pandemic has swept the globe in a short span threatening the entire human race. India is on the threshold of a human disaster, with a huge population vulnerable to the onslaught of the virus.
Multiple measures to tackle this pandemic include “social distancing (SD)” – a country-wide lockdown being its advanced version. At this point, extensive and efficient SD is the most important preventive measure. SD requires extensive public cooperation and is more than a government directive. Fundamentally, it is in contravention to Aristotle's basic tenet of “Man is a social animal” and has economic and hardship consequences. Beyond SD, a major issue facing health care is the preparedness for the large influx of patients who may need inpatient care. The psychological impact of this unprecedented pandemic is another major issue, as social media makes a large amount of information available to the common man in a very short span of time.
As government, systems, and health care try to battle this crisis, a very important aspect is the perception of the layman in India. The absence of ground-level data has created a lacuna to guide measures and target resources necessary to tackle COVID19. We conducted a survey to collect ground-level data on the basic perceptions of people, confidence of current health-care measures, and compliance of the above during this COVID pandemic.
METHODS
This random selection online all-India community survey using “Google docs” was initiated and implemented by a high school student with the help of doctor parents to assess the above aspects. A questionnaire was circulated to participants randomly over 3 days (March 20, 2020, to March 23, 2020) on the perceptions of the general population on the COVID19 pandemic. The respondents also answered questions on the psychological and economic effects of COVID pandemic, perception on current health-care measures/delivery, and compliance with recommended preventive measures.
RESULTS
We received responses from 4557 people over 3 days. The results are presented in Table 1.
Table 1.
Results from the coronavirus disease 2019 survey
| Demographics | Number |
|---|---|
| Sex (%) | |
| Males | 52 |
| Females | 48 |
| Respondents between 21-60 years (%) | 84 |
| College-level education (%) | 94 |
| Middle or higher income class (%) | 92 |
| Perceptions (%) | |
| COVID is a real threat to India | 91 |
| Fear of infection to self/family member | 85 (25 are very scared) |
| Fear of quarantine | 61 |
| Feeling of hopelessness | 40 |
| Lack of understanding of information | 17 |
| Fear of receiving information on the virus/infection | 36 |
| Confidence in current measures/health-care delivery (%) | |
| Have faith in current measures to prevent spread | 78 |
| Segregation methods are worth it despite job loss/economic productivity loss | 85 |
| Confidence in Indian health-care infrastructure | 53 |
| Preference of private treatment | 60 |
| Compliance to preventive/protective measures (%) | |
| Not following recommended preventive measures | 32 |
| Financially affected from preventive measures | 44 |
COVID: Coronavirus disease 2019
This study had respondents predominantly from the middle/higher socioeconomic class. The following observations were noted, and corresponding implications are mentioned: (observation – O, implication – I)
O-1: In an educated middle/upper-class population, 9% still do not feel that COVID19 is a real threat, 15% are not scared, 15% do not believe that SD/segregation is worth it, and 32% are not following the recommended measures
I-1. These are the weak links and potential failure points of current measures. Efforts to address these groups must be taken to address the pandemic
O-2: Psychological aspects (anxiety, fear, and worry): 85% scared, 40% feel hopelessness, 36% feel afraid of the deluge of information, and 17% do not understand it
I-2: We need to do a better job to address communication, information overload, and allay anxiety and build confidence. Hopelessness is a possible indicator of depression and needs to be addressed
O-3: 22% do not have faith in the current measures, 44% are financially affected, and 47% do not have confidence in India's medical infrastructure to handle this
I-3: These people need on-ground action to both implement and reassure that the system is ready to handle health-care requirements
O-4: 60% would prefer self-paid treatment at a private health care over free treatment at a government facility
I-4: We need a comprehensive plan involving both the government and private facilities to take care of the health-care need during this pandemic, as a significant population prefers private health care.
This survey is the first of its kind with sizable numbers to reflect the thinking of a middle/upper-class Indian population. This is happening in a situation of SD/lockdown and massive mobilization to prepare health care for the inpatients who may follow. From a planning and implementation viewpoint, it provides valuable information to guide ground-level policy for systems and administrators.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.