A recent survey of local knowledge and attitudes to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has recommended that authorities practice more transparency in their management of the disease so as to build public confidence in the country’s capacity to effectively deal with the pandemic.
“A Rapid Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to Covid-19 in Guyana”, which was conducted by a team of volunteers working with The Consultancy Group (TCG), has found that while a significant percentage of Guyanese are aware of the symptoms of COVID-19 as well as methods to prevent transmission, they lack confidence that the local health care system has the capacity to effectively deal with the disease.
“It would therefore be to the benefit of public confidence for the system to handle cases in a transparent manner and to ensure that people understand the plans and provisions for addressing the virus. This is one way of potentially building public confidence and reassuring the public if indeed the health system is better equipped than it is believed to be,” the report states.
The report, which was published by TCG, notes that the data, which was collected by 24 volunteers through 411 telephone interviews over the period March 28 to April 3, is intended to make the concerns and perspectives of everyday Guyanese quickly accessible to decision-makers and responders, as they work to craft the best possible national response.
It explains that since those contacted had been selected from the registration lists of workshops executed around the country over the last decade, the survey is not representative of Guyana as a whole.
“It is likely that there is an oversampling of people with higher socioeconomic status given the source of the telephone numbers used,” the report acknowledges.
Concerning
Major findings include that the majority or more than 75% of respondents were aware that a cough and fever were symptoms of COVID-19 but less than 50% were aware of other symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, pain and fatigue. It was also found that 24% of the respondents believe that a person who is not sick or who does not show symptoms cannot spread the coronavirus, whereas 22% believe that a person can only begin to spread the virus after being infected for 14 days.
The report stresses that level of knowledge about coronavirus symptoms is both reassuring and concerning, particularly because in the context of preventing COVID-19 infection one’s best efforts can be undone by another person’s carelessness and misconceptions.
This ignorance is compounded by the lack of information emanating from the health sector about both positive and suspected positive cases.
“Large majorities of the respondents are unaware of confirmed (~87%) or suspected (~84%) COVID-19 cases within their networks,” the report notes.
Knowledge about how to react to COVID-19 symptoms was similarly concerning, with a significant 30% of the respondents being unaware of the COVID-19 hotline and just under 50% appearing to not understand the importance of quarantining. Therefore, though 52% said that they should self-quarantine or self-isolate at home if they display symptoms, the report says 14% of respondents who recommended visiting a hospital or health facility immediately shows that a need for better public education exists.
Nevertheless, this knowledge of the importance of self-quarantine is bolstered by the belief held by a mean of the respondents that they will be able to cope with being quarantines at home if necessary.
Questioned about their access to food and other supplies, including social stimuli for themselves and their children, respondents presented an optimistic view about being able to avoid loneliness and boredom and suggested the existence of relatively strong social networks that will ensure food security.
“These results support the conclusion that people feel that they will be able to cope with being quarantined at home,” the report notes.
It, however, indicates that concerns about food security are beginning to grow as the partial lockdown moves into its second month.
Specifically, food security and the ability of individuals and families to remain economically solvent during the crisis have emerged as important issues in the public discourse and in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Respondents’ families, when characterized based on concerns about food security, were found to be one of five types: These types were explained as the Insulated (38%), who have not experienced any negative changes as yet; the worriers (33%), who have not experienced any changes except in the level of worry about food security and availability of household supplies in the future; those with maximum vulnerability (15%), who have experienced negative impacts in relation to all indicators; the panic shoppers (10%), who began bulk buying and who experienced less availability of items where they usually buy them; and the bulk buyers (5%), who have experienced no negative changes or even changes in worry but have begun bulk buying.
Unemployment
However, with unemployment growing within these households, a significant percentage is expecting to have COVID-19 impact their food security negatively.
In fact, the survey notes that since COVID-19 was detected in Guyana, unemployment among the respondents rose by 8.3 percentage points to 17.8%.
In addition, income reduced or evaporated altogether for 39% of the respondents, and 20% and 36% of the respondents indicated that their personal income is likely to evaporate altogether or to become lower respectively in the future if the situation continues, respectively.
“With respect to the household, nearly 40% of the respondents indicated that income became lower and 6% said that they now have no household income at all. The respondents’ projections for the future if the situation continues indicate that 68% of the households will experience either reduced or complete loss of income,” the report states.
