Analysis of Awareness of Medical Students and Medical Workers of the Republic of Bashkortostan and Ryazan Region of Coronavirus Infection COVID-19

INTRODUCTION: The new coronavirus infection has affected almost every citizen of the country. It is known that, despite the published government statistics and information about the new infection, not all the Russian population observe the measures of non-specific prevention of coronavirus infection. One of the reasons is the massive spread of numerous rumors and speculations about COVID-19. AIM: To study the level of awareness of medical workers and medical students of the coronavirus infection COVID-19 specifying the sources of information about this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey of 312 respondents from the Ryazan region and the Republic of Bashkortostan was conducted. The study was conducted using a questionnaire based on GoogleForms distributed in social networks and consisting of three blocks of questions. Statistical data processing was carried out using the free computing software environment R (ver. 4.1.2) and the MS Excel 2019 software package in Windows 11. The target significance level p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The survey revealed insufficient awareness of students and medical professionals of the transmission routes and symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Only a small part of medical workers (as a rule, people of younger working age) and medical students receive information about COVID-19 from official and reliable sources. Only every 7th respondent gives correct answers about the transmission routes of COVID-19. In general, respondents considered wearing masks to be an effective means of prevention, especially in the group of those who had suffered the disease. When analyzing the spread of various rumors and legends about COVID-19 among medical professionals and medical students, it was found that almost half of them believe various legends about COVID-19. CONCLUSION: It was found that respondents received information mainly from unofficial sources, not trusting federal TV channels, as well as the data from the state statistics service. Often, respondents do not have complete information about the ways of transmission of infection and of its symptoms, but at the same time, most of them observe the self-isolation and the mask regimes. About half of the respondents believe various legends associated with this disease. Respondents who had had COVID-19 gave more correct answers and used more reliable sources of information.