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Elsevier - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Elsevier - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 2020 Sep 21;33(8):639–645. doi: 10.3967/bes2020.085

Public Awareness and Mask Usage during the COVID-19 Epidemic: A Survey by China CDC New Media

Cheng Xi SUN a,&, Bin HE b,&, Di MU c, Pei Long LI d, Hong Ting ZHAO c, Zhi Li LI c, Mu Li ZHANG c, Lu Zhao FENG c, Jian Dong ZHENG c, Ying CHENG c,#, Ying CUI b,#, Zhong Jie LI c
PMCID: PMC7523132  PMID: 32933618

Abstract

An online survey conducted March 18–19, 2020 on the official China CDC WeChat account platform was used to evaluate the effect of public education about masks usage during the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. Chinese nationals older than 18 were eligible for the survey. The survey collected 5,761 questionnaires from the 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions of mainland China. 99.7% and 97.2% of the respondents answered correctly that respiratory droplets and direct contact were the main transmission routes. 73.3% of the respondents considered COVID-19 to be ‘serious’ or ‘very serious’. When going to the hospital, 96.9% (2,885/2,976 had gone to a hospital) used a mask during the COVID-19 epidemic, while 41.1% (2,367/5,761) did not use a mask before the epidemic. Among the respondents that used public transportation and went shopping, 99.6% and 99.4%, respectively, wore masks. Among respondents who returned to work, 75.5% wore a mask at the workplace, while 86.3% of those who have not returned to work will choose to use masks when they return to the workplace. The Chinese public is highly likely to use a mask during COVID-19 epidemic, and the mask usage changed greatly since the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, public education has played an important role during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Key words: COVID-19, Mask, Public awareness, Public behaviors, Social media platform

Biographies

Biographical notes of the first authors: SUN Cheng Xi, male, born in 1974, Master's Degree, deputy director of the physician, disease control

HE Bin, female, born in 1992, Bachelor's Degree, research assistant, public health/health communication.

References


Articles from Biomedical and Environmental Sciences are provided here courtesy of Elsevier

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