Assessing the Perceptions and Awareness of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in Cameroon

Introduction: COVID-19 (coronavirus) has become a global threat to the human population. The virus which originated from China in December, 2019 has swept across continents in the world. Cameroon has been one of the countries with a high infectious rate. Lack of awareness plays a major role in the rise of COVID-19 cases. Studies have shown that there exists a strong correlation between the perception of a disease and a ready compliance to health recommendations. Objective: This paper studied the awareness and perceptions by the general population of Cameroon on the existence and spread of COVID-19. Methods: The study involved a qualitative survey designed by online questionnaires which were made available to the population of Cameroon through e-mails and ‘WhatsApp’. The survey included the perception of the origin and existence of the COVID-19 virus, its mode of transmission, preventive and control measures. The data obtained from respondents were analysed by descriptive statistics. The data were entered in a spread sheet, Microsoft Excel and normality determined. One-way ANOVA and means comparison using Tukey’s test (α = 0.05) was performed to check whether the perception of respondents differed significantly. Results: A total of 573 respondents were obtained. From the analysed results, a greater proportion of the respondents (P˂ 0.05) were aware of the COVID 19 existence, transmission and preventive strategies. This knowledge could lead to a reduction in the spread of the disease. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that there’s more need for public sensitisation of the virus especially its method of transmission, control and prevention.