Abstract:
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected more than 200 countries, causing loss of life and livelihood.
The knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of the community will influence the dynamics of pandemic behavior. There is a necessity to
understand the public’s awareness of COVID-19 at this critical moment to facilitate the outbreak management of COVID-19 in field practice
areas. The acceptability of the newly launched vaccine is yet another parameter to be considered, since the vaccine coverage rate among the
population is essential for a successful immunization program. The acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine depends on various sociodemographic
characteristics, as well as the beliefs and barriers that may prove to be hurdles during the immunization program.
Materials and methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study; the data were collected in the rural field practice area of the tertiary care
hospital. The questionnaires related to demographic details and information related to KAP of COVID-19 infection and vaccine were collected
in Google Forms by the interview technique.
Results: In our study, 94% of them were aware of and had heard of COVID-19 infection from the media, friends, and healthcare workers. 80%
of them have heard about the COVID-19 vaccine from friends and family (99%), healthcare workers and the media (77%).
Conclusion: The findings of the present study conclude that overall, people are aware of COVID-19 infection with regard to its symptoms, route
of transmission, and preventive methods. Similarly, the vaccine and its side effects in rural areas.
