Perceived risk of COVID-19 in Central Indian population

Perceived risk of COVID-19 in Central Indian population | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Perceived risk of COVID-19 in Central Indian population Noopur Kokane, Vandana Kokane, Jasleen Kaur This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-287603/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background : risk perception influences the behavior of the people. With gradual unlocking in India it is important to understand the perceived risk of people for COVID-19 issue as it might influence number of new positive cases in India. Material and method : this was an online survey which measured the perceived risk under two domain, risk perception of disease and trust people have in authorities and themselves to fight against COVID-19. SPSS 23.0 was used for data analysis. Result : Total sample size is 797. Only participants above age of 60 have high risk perception. But overall risk perception is low. All have high trust in scientist to develop an effective vaccine soon. The overall trust of participants is high which resulted in low risk perception. According to our study participants have low perceived risk. Conclusion : with low perceived risk, there and chances of increase of cases in COVID-19 positive patients. And people should not be misled by false sense of immunity and authorities should be prepared for second wave. Epidemiology General Practice Infectious Diseases COVID-19 risk perception trust in authorities Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Introduction Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan city China, which latter spread globally. The first SARS-CoV-2 positive case in India was reported on January 30 th , on same day the WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern 1 . India implemented a complete national lockdown on March 25 2020. The lockdown continued till 68 days. But this lockdown has severely affected everyone emotionally, as well as financially. Hence on June 1, 2020, the complete lockdown was lifted and relaxations provided through federal (union) directives to the states and union territories (UT). During this period the COVID-19 cases were on rise, but instead going for lockdown 2.0 India went for unlocks 2.0 and 3.0 with restriction. This was be followed by unlock 4.0 in September. Now the fate of COVID-19 is in hands of people and how they adapt to this new normal. Preventive behavior developed by the population is essential in the face of the risk of COVID-19 infection. However, preventive measures will depend on the risk perception acquired 2 . Risk perceptions refer to people’s beliefs and feelings about the possibility of disease or other harms to health. Perceived risk is a key predictor of both motivation to take protective action, and subsequent performance of health behaviors geared at alleviating the threat 3 . From the previous pandemic, we have learned that people’s behavior can fundamentally influence and alter the spread of a pandemic which is influenced by the public having accurate perceptions of personal and societal risk factors 4 . The literature has shown that in times of the COVID-19 people may behave so differently than their normal behaviors. Thus, risk perception of COVID-19 is potentially a significant determinant of the pandemic evolution, as it could influence the number of new positive cases 5 . Hence accurate public risk perceptions are critical to effectively managing public health risks. In this study, we tried to find out the perceived risk of the general public by checking two parameters their risk perception and their trust in agencies to fight COVID-19 infection. Methods Sample The survey was conducted in Maharashtra state using convenience sampling method. The original perceived risk questionnaire was modified according to Indian population, and was validated a pilot study was conducted to test its readability and content validity. Sample size was 797 Measure Questionnaire was divided into three domains. First Domain consisted demographic data of participants. The second and third domain consisted of 5 questions in 5-point Likert scale. Second domain asked about perceived likelihood of contracting the virus in near future by themselves, and family members, and their present seriousness and worry about the disease. The third domain measured the trust in government, scientist and medical professionals and efficacy collective and personal both. Higher the trusts lower the perceived risk. Survey A Google form of the questionnaire was created. The questionnaire and a small message explaining the aims and objectives of the study were sent to participants. Participants were approached by principal investigator and co-investigator via personal connections and WhatsApp groups from 1 September to 30 th September. Timely reminders were sent as well. The participation was voluntary and all had an option of opting out of the study by not filling the questionnaire. Statistical analysis Descriptive statistics, frequency, mean and standard deviation were used to describe the data. ANOVA was used to examine the difference between variables. P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Spss 23.0 was used for data analysis. Result Out of 797 responses, majority were male graduates between age group 20-40. Of all respondents 21% of participants, either they themselves or theirs family members have suffered from COVID-19 infection. To analyze the risk perception towards COVID-19, the score of 1-3 was considered as low risk and 4-5 were considered high risk perceived. Table 1 Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation I worry about COVID-19 issue 797 1 5 2.61 1.225 I can be affected by COVID-19 in coming days 797 1 5 2.18 1.169 My friends and family will be affected by COVID-19 in coming days 797 1 5 2.21 1.214 COVID-19 will affect many people in my city 797 1 5 3.41 1.420 Getting infected by COVID-19 can be serious 797 1 5 2.53 1.271 I trust the government to deal effectively with the pandemic 797 1 5 3.26 1.239 I trust the Scientists to develop effective vaccine soon 797 1 5 4.22 .997 I trust Medical doctors and nurses 797 1 5 3.72 1.122 The personal actions I take to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are enough 797 1 5 3.65 1.029 Actions taken by my city are enough to prevent spread of COVID-19 797 1 5 3.11 1.163 Total perceived risk 797 1.00 5.00 2.9975 .83575 Total trust 797 1.00 5.00 3.9912 .91122 Note; 1=strongly disagree, 5= strongly agree. Table 1 shows data on overall mean score for all questions. Participants are not worried about COVID-19 anymore and have a neutral behavior towards being worried about COVID-19 issue. Majority do not think that they or their family members could get infected by COVID-19 virus in coming days. However majority think that many people in their city may get infected by COVID-19 virus in coming days. Majority do not think that getting infected by virus can be serious. Participants have a positive response towards the government and city administrates to handle the COVID-19 issue. Majority have high level of trust in scientist to develop effective vaccine very soon. Participants have trust on medical doctors and nurses as well as themselves. Overall perceived risk is low among the participants and the trust is high. Table 2 Distribution of risk perception. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree P-value Age 20-40 7 97 176 60 2 0.001 40-60 7 103 167 39 5 Above 60 0 4 39 65 28 Gender Male 7 109 237 80 18 0.043 Female 7 95 145 84 15 Education Intermediate and below 0 12 25 15 3 0.237 Graduate and below 9 120 193 66 20 Postgraduate 5 72 164 83 10 Have you or your family member suffered from COVID-19 No 12 171 302 123 19 0.008 Yes 2 33 80 41 14 Table 3 Distribution of trust Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree P-value Age 20-40 2 23 57 142 118 0.825 40-60 0 27 50 144 98 Above 60 1 11 26 57 41 Gender Male 2 40 78 190 141 0.582 Female 4 21 55 153 116 Education Intermediate and below 0 1 22 12 20 Graduate and below 3 53 35 174 143 0.001 Postgraduate 0 7 7 157 94 Have you or your family member suffered from corona No 3 56 107 269 192 0.045 Yes 0 5 26 74 65 Table 2 shows distribution of total perceived risk and demographic data. There is statistical significance in perceived risk and age (p-value 0.001) participants above 60 have higher perceived risk as compared to others. There is also statistical significance in group who has suffered from COVID-19 before and total perceived risk (0.008). However no statistical significance was seen in gender and education with total perceived risk. Table 3 shows distribution of trust and demographic data. Statistical significance was seen only between education and over all trust (0.001). No statistical significance was seen between age, gender or previous history of COVID-19 infection and total trust. Discussion By now almost everybody is aware of the COVID-19 issue and acquired enough knowledge to prevent the spread of disease, the government has made various law like mandatorily wearing a mask in public places, and penalties for violating the terms of quarantine or not wearing a mask when in public or other such advisories like frequently washing hands. But now what is needed from the public is a change in attitude which influences precautionary behavior. Risk perception is a feature of protection-motivation theory 6 . That might influence the public's willingness to adopt health-protective behaviors during pandemics, including frequent hand washing, physical distancing, avoiding public places, and wearing face masks. The worry of acquiring a disease can influence the perceived risk of a pandemic. It is a response to a threat, which can predict perceived risk influencing protective behaviors 7 . According to our study, the majority are not worried about the COVID-19 issue. the majority are not worried that they themselves or their family member may be infected by the virus. Our finding does not match with previous studies which state that people are worried about getting infected by COVID-19 8 . According to our study, people think that getting infected by COVID-19 cannot be serious, this may be because the majority of our participants were of age group 20-40 and the symptoms of corona are not too severe in the young age group. An ironic finding of our study is the majority feel that many people of their city may get infected by the COVID-19 virus but they themselves or their friends and family cannot get infected by the virus. With this attitude, people are less likely to adopt self-protective behavior. Trust is one major factor that contributes to shaping an accurate risk perception of the disease. According to the Trust and Confidence Model, trust plays an important part in managing a threat by affecting the person’s judgments about the risks and the related benefits. Trust can influence the behavior for adopting recommended measures 9 . In our study majority of participants have shown trust in the government to deal effectively with the pandemic. Participants have a huge amount of trust in scientists to develop an effective vaccine soon. Our findings are consistent with previous studies where people have a positive attitude towards the COVID-19 vaccine 10 . Previously researchers have found that in the past few weeks, doctors across India have been experiencing a lot of unsolicited behavior from the general population 11 . But in our study, we found that people have trust in doctors and nurses to provide proper treatment for corona patients. The majority of people feel that the personal actions taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are enough but as compare to this the trust in Actions taken by the city are not enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The overall trust in government, scientists, doctors, city administrative, people, and themselves is high. Previous studies have shown that the more general trust the less is perceived risk of the person 4 . With low risk perception and high trust, it can be said that total perceived risk is low among people. Similarly he study conducted in Europe also suggested that the perceived risk for COVID-19 2 . Conclusion According to our study, the total perceived risk is less and the trust domain is high this shows that the overall perceived risk is very low in people, during unlocking. Hence it will be difficult to observe the precautionary behavior of people. Since major coronavirus outbreaks often occur in waves, surviving the primary wave could also be amid a misleading sense of immunity. So the only hope in the near future is developing herd immunity and the development of a vaccine. Otherwise, the rise in COVID positive patients will be uncontrollable. Limitation As the study was online, and the questionnaire was in English we could not reach to masses especially the vulnerable class of less educated and aged people. Declarations Ethics : This study was approved by ethical committee of V.S.P.M DCRC. As the study is questionnaire based study no approval letter was given. Consent : As far statement of participants consent is concern, there was a short message attached with questionnaires that agree to fill the form is giving consent. Competing Interest : Authors declare no competing interests. References Kumar SU, Kumar DT, Christopher BP, Doss CGP. The Rise and Impact of COVID-19 in India. Front Med (Lausanne) . 2020;7:250. Published 2020 May 22. doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.00250 Orte, C.; Sánchez-Prieto, L.; Domínguez, D.C.; Barrientos-Báez, A. Evaluation of Distress and Risk Perception Associated with COVID-19 in Vulnerable Groups. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020 , 17 , 9207.) Ferrer RA, Klein WMP, Avishai A, Jones K, Villegas M, Sheeran P. When does risk perception predict protection motivation for health threats? A person-by-situation analysis. PLoS One . 2018;13(3):e0191994. Published 2018 Mar 1. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191994 Sarah Dryhurst, Claudia R. Schneider, John Kerr, Alexandra L. J. Freeman, Gabriel Recchia, Anne Marthe van der Bles, David Spiegelhalter & Sander van der Linden(2020) Risk perceptions of COVID-19 around the world, Journal of Risk Research, 23:7-8, 994-1006, DOI: 1080/13669877.2020.1758193 Yıldırım M, Güler A. Factor analysis of the COVID-19 Perceived Risk Scale: A preliminary study. Death Stud. 2020 Jun 25:1-8. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2020.1784311. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32584201. Ferrer RA, Klein WMP, Avishai A, Jones K, Villegas M, Sheeran P. When does risk perception predict protection motivation for health threats? A person-by-situation analysis. PLoS One. 2018;13(3):e0191994. Published 2018 Mar 1. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191994 Goodwin R, Gaines SO, Myers L, Neto F. Initial psychological responses to swine flu. Int J Behav Med. 2011;18(2):88-92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-010-9083-z PMID: 20195809 PMCID: PMC7090401. He, S., Chen, S., Kong, L. et al.Analysis of Risk Perceptions and Related Factors Concerning COVID-19 Epidemic in Chongqing, China. J Community Health (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00870-4 Khosravi M. Perceived Risk of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Public Worry and Trust. Electron J Gen Med. 2020;17(4):em203. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/7856 Pogue K, Jensen JL, Stancil CK, Ferguson DG, Hughes SJ, Mello EJ, Burgess R, Berges BK, Quaye A, Poole BD. Influences on Attitudes Regarding Potential COVID-19 Vaccination in the United States. Vaccines (Basel). 2020 Oct 3;8(4):582. doi: 10.3390/vaccines8040582. PMID: 33022917; PMCID: PMC7711655. Jakhar, Deepak, and Ishmeet Kaur. “Callous attitude toward doctors during COVID-19.” Dermatologic therapy, e13885. 23 Jun. 2020, doi:10.1111/dth.13885 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-287603","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":14207361,"identity":"e0d0375e-9f8a-491b-8aa5-0ed8ba970695","order_by":0,"name":"Noopur Kokane","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACHgZmBOcDELOxE6+FmYFxBkgLMz7l6FqYeSA0fmDOc/iwwc8dNnYbbvcf/Gzza5s8H9C2Dx9zcGux7G1LTuw9k5a84c5hZuncvtuGbUDbJGduw63F4DyP8QHetsPJBjeSGaRze24zArWwMfMS0HLwb9t/kBbm35Y9t+0JaznbY5zM23bADqiFTZrhx+1EwlrOHEs2lm1LTpC8c9jMsrfhdnIbM2Mzfr+cST4s+bbNzp7vduPjGz/+3Lad39588MNHPFpgILFBAkgytoHYjA2E1QOBPQNIC8MfohSPglEwCkbBCAMAoVFR3lMpMFMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Dr. Rajesh Ramdasji Kambe Dental College and Hospital, Akola.","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Noopur","middleName":"","lastName":"Kokane","suffix":""},{"id":14207362,"identity":"ba12698b-9f62-41a0-8d11-7068d66c7135","order_by":1,"name":"Vandana Kokane","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"V.S.P.M Dental College Nagpur","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vandana","middleName":"","lastName":"Kokane","suffix":""},{"id":14207363,"identity":"aad6175c-4cd7-4586-b66e-761c6282411b","order_by":2,"name":"Jasleen Kaur","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"V.S.P.M Dental College Nagpur","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jasleen","middleName":"","lastName":"Kaur","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2021-03-01 07:30:47","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":true,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"coiExplicitlySet":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-287603/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-287603/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":6856429,"identity":"eef8a277-79af-42d4-8c53-9419d192ab40","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-11 20:46:12","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":17580,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Distribution of age group","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-287603/v1/6c04fc284a0d7e63a9da4363.png"},{"id":6856019,"identity":"4ac1ad8f-6a93-44fd-bc84-c120ca739ad9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-11 20:43:12","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":15472,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Distribution of gender","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-287603/v1/40bf9eb77e9de1b874521886.png"},{"id":6856430,"identity":"d381a234-7780-44bd-90c6-36ab3b26112a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-11 20:46:12","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":39760,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Distribution of data by education","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-287603/v1/c7600996f491eaa6e179005a.png"},{"id":6856431,"identity":"4ae84d28-ecb5-40ef-a18c-101540a84aaf","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-11 20:46:13","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":19523,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Distribution on previous history of COVID-19 infection","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-287603/v1/654358bf1ddb69937a6ad084.png"},{"id":13677369,"identity":"765d50a7-d91d-4ce5-80f6-105808e35ff4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-09-17 11:34:55","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":256693,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-287603/v1/f3277c34-3202-45fa-9b10-7282ab9f0b35.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003ePerceived risk of COVID-19 in Central Indian population\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan city China, which latter spread globally. The first SARS-CoV-2 positive case in India was reported on January 30\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e, on same day the WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndia implemented a complete national lockdown on March 25 2020. The lockdown continued till 68 days.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut this lockdown has severely affected everyone emotionally, as well as financially.\u0026nbsp; Hence on June 1, 2020, the complete lockdown was lifted and relaxations provided through federal (union) directives to the states and union territories (UT). During this period the COVID-19 cases were on rise, but instead going for lockdown 2.0 India went for unlocks 2.0 and 3.0 with restriction. This was be followed by unlock 4.0 in September.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow the fate of COVID-19 is in hands of people and how they adapt to this new normal. Preventive behavior developed by the population is essential in the face of the risk of COVID-19 infection. However, preventive measures will depend on the risk perception acquired\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRisk perceptions refer to people\u0026rsquo;s beliefs and feelings about the possibility of disease or other harms to health. Perceived risk is a key predictor of both motivation to take protective action, and subsequent performance of health behaviors geared at alleviating the threat\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e. From the previous pandemic, we have learned that people\u0026rsquo;s behavior can fundamentally influence and alter the spread of a pandemic which is influenced by the public having accurate perceptions of personal and societal risk factors\u003csup\u003e4\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe literature has shown that in times of the COVID-19 people may behave so differently than their normal behaviors. Thus, risk perception of COVID-19 is potentially a significant determinant of the pandemic evolution, as it could influence the number of new positive cases\u003csup\u003e5\u003c/sup\u003e. Hence accurate public risk perceptions are critical to effectively managing public health risks. In this study, we tried to find out the perceived risk of the general public by checking two parameters their risk perception and their trust in agencies to fight COVID-19 infection.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eSample\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe survey was conducted in Maharashtra state using convenience sampling method. The original perceived risk questionnaire was modified according to Indian population, and was validated a pilot study was conducted to test its readability and content validity. Sample size was 797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeasure\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuestionnaire was divided into three domains. First Domain consisted demographic data of participants. The second and third domain consisted of 5 questions in 5-point Likert scale. Second domain asked about perceived likelihood of contracting the virus in near future by themselves, and family members, and their present seriousness and worry about the disease. The third domain measured the trust in government, scientist and medical professionals and efficacy collective and personal both. Higher the trusts lower the perceived risk.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSurvey\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Google form of the questionnaire was created. The questionnaire and a small message explaining the aims and objectives of the study were sent to participants. Participants were approached by principal investigator and co-investigator via personal connections and WhatsApp groups from 1 September to 30\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e September. Timely reminders were sent as well. The participation was voluntary and all had an option of opting out of the study by not filling the questionnaire.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescriptive statistics, frequency, mean and standard deviation were used to describe the data. ANOVA was used to examine the difference between variables. P-value of \u0026lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant. Spss 23.0 was used for data analysis.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Result","content":"\u003cp\u003eOut of 797 responses, majority were male graduates between age group 20-40. Of all respondents 21% of participants, either they themselves or theirs family members have suffered from COVID-19 infection. To analyze the risk perception towards COVID-19, the score of 1-3 was considered as low risk and 4-5 were considered high risk perceived.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" width=\"498\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd colspan=\"6\" width=\"498\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1 Descriptive Statistics\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMinimum\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaximum\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStd. Deviation\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI worry about COVID-19 issue\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2.61\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.225\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI can be affected by COVID-19 in coming days\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2.18\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.169\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy friends and family will be affected by COVID-19 in coming days\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2.21\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.214\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCOVID-19 will affect many people in my city\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.41\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.420\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGetting infected by COVID-19 can be serious\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2.53\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.271\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI trust the government to deal effectively with the pandemic\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.26\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.239\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI trust the Scientists to develop effective vaccine soon\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4.22\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.997\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI trust Medical doctors and nurses\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.72\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.122\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe personal actions I take to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are enough\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.65\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.029\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eActions taken by my city are enough to prevent spread of COVID-19\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.11\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.163\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTotal perceived risk\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5.00\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2.9975\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.83575\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"176\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTotal trust\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"61\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e797\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"63\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"65\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5.00\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.9912\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.91122\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote; 1=strongly disagree, 5= strongly agree.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 1 shows data on overall mean score for all questions. Participants are not worried about COVID-19 anymore and have a neutral behavior towards being worried about COVID-19 issue. Majority do not think that they or their family members could get infected by COVID-19 virus in coming days. However majority think that many people in their city may get infected by COVID-19 virus in coming days. Majority do not think that getting infected by virus can be serious. Participants have a positive response towards the government and city administrates to handle the COVID-19 issue. Majority have high level of trust in scientist to develop effective vaccine very soon. Participants have trust on medical doctors and nurses as well as themselves. Overall perceived risk is low among the participants and the trust is high.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 2 Distribution of risk perception.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" width=\"649\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"114\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStrongly\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDisagree\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDisagree\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeutral\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgree\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStrongly\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgree\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"62\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eP-value\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"4\" width=\"114\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e20-40\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e97\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e176\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e60\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"4\" width=\"62\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e40-60\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e103\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e167\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbove 60\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e65\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" width=\"114\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e109\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e237\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" width=\"62\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.043\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e95\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e145\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e84\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"4\" width=\"114\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEducation\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntermediate and below\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"4\" width=\"62\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.237\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGraduate and below\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e120\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e193\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e66\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePostgraduate\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e72\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e164\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e83\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" width=\"114\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave you or your family member suffered from COVID-19\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e171\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e302\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e123\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" width=\"62\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.008\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"109\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"75\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 3 Distribution of trust\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" width=\"480\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"126\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStrongly\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDisagree\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDisagree\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeutral\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgree\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStrongly\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgree\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"70\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eP-value\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"4\" width=\"126\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e20-40\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e57\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e142\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e118\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"4\" width=\"70\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.825\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e40-60\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e144\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e98\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbove 60\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e57\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" width=\"126\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e78\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e190\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e141\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" width=\"70\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.582\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e153\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e116\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"4\" width=\"126\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEducation\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntermediate and below\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"70\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGraduate and below\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e53\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e174\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e143\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" width=\"70\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePostgraduate\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e157\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e94\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" width=\"126\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave you or your family member suffered from corona\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e56\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e107\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e269\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e192\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" width=\"70\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.045\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"98\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"73\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e74\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"74\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e65\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTable 2 shows distribution of total perceived risk and demographic data. There is statistical significance in perceived risk and age (p-value 0.001) participants above 60 have higher perceived risk as compared to others. There is also statistical significance in group who has suffered from COVID-19 before and total perceived risk (0.008). However no statistical significance was seen in gender and education with total perceived risk.\u0026nbsp; Table 3 shows distribution of trust and demographic data. Statistical significance was seen only between education and over all trust (0.001). No statistical significance was seen between age, gender or previous history of COVID-19 infection and total trust.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eBy now almost everybody is aware of the COVID-19 issue and acquired enough knowledge to prevent the spread of disease, the government has made various law like mandatorily wearing a mask in public places, and penalties for violating the terms of quarantine or not wearing a mask when in public or other such advisories like frequently washing hands. But now what is needed from the public is a change in attitude which influences precautionary behavior. Risk perception is a feature of protection-motivation theory\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e. That might influence the public's willingness to adopt health-protective behaviors during pandemics, including frequent hand washing, physical distancing, avoiding public places, and wearing face masks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe worry of acquiring a disease can influence the perceived risk of a pandemic. It is a response to a threat, which can predict perceived risk influencing protective behaviors\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e. According to our study, the majority are not worried about the COVID-19 issue. the majority are not worried that they themselves or their family member may be infected by the virus. Our finding does not match with previous studies which state that people are worried about getting infected by COVID-19\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp; According to our study, people think that getting infected by COVID-19 cannot be serious, this may be because the majority of our participants were of age group 20-40 and the symptoms of corona are not too severe in the young age group. An ironic finding of our study is the majority feel that many people of their city may get infected by the COVID-19 virus but they themselves or their friends and family cannot get infected by the virus. With this attitude, people are less likely to adopt self-protective behavior.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;Trust is one major factor that contributes to shaping an accurate risk perception of the disease. According to the Trust and Confidence Model, trust plays an important part in managing a threat by affecting the person\u0026rsquo;s judgments about the risks and the related benefits. Trust can influence the behavior for adopting recommended measures\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e. In our study majority of participants have shown trust in the government to deal effectively with the pandemic. Participants have a huge amount of trust in scientists to develop an effective vaccine soon. Our findings are consistent with previous studies where people have a positive attitude towards the COVID-19 vaccine\u003csup\u003e10\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Previously researchers have found that in the past few weeks, doctors across India have been experiencing a lot of unsolicited behavior from the general population\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e. But in our study, we found that people have trust in doctors and nurses to provide proper treatment for corona patients. The majority of people feel that the personal actions taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are enough but as compare to this the trust in Actions taken by the city are not enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The overall trust in government, scientists, doctors, city administrative, people, and themselves is high. Previous studies have shown that the more general trust the less is perceived risk of the person\u003csup\u003e4\u003c/sup\u003e. With low risk perception and high trust, it can be said that total perceived risk is low among people. Similarly he study conducted in Europe also suggested that the perceived risk for COVID-19\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eAccording to our study, the total perceived risk is less and the trust domain is high this shows that the overall perceived risk is very low in people, during unlocking.\u0026nbsp; Hence it will be difficult to observe the precautionary behavior of people. Since major coronavirus outbreaks often occur in waves, surviving the primary wave could also be amid a misleading sense of immunity. So the only hope in the near future is developing herd immunity and the development of a vaccine. Otherwise, the rise in COVID positive patients will be uncontrollable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLimitation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the study was online, and the questionnaire was in English we could not reach to masses especially the vulnerable class of less educated and aged people.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics\u003c/strong\u003e: This study was approved by ethical committee of V.S.P.M DCRC. As the study is questionnaire based study no approval letter was given.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent\u003c/strong\u003e: As far statement of participants consent is concern, there was a short message attached with questionnaires that agree to fill the form is giving consent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting Interest\u003c/strong\u003e: Authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKumar SU, Kumar DT, Christopher BP, Doss CGP. The Rise and Impact of COVID-19 in India.\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eFront Med (Lausanne)\u003c/em\u003e. 2020;7:250. Published 2020 May 22. doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.00250\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrte, C.; S\u0026aacute;nchez-Prieto, L.; Dom\u0026iacute;nguez, D.C.; Barrientos-B\u0026aacute;ez, A. Evaluation of Distress and Risk Perception Associated with COVID-19 in Vulnerable Groups.\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003e J. Environ. Res. Public Health\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2020\u003c/strong\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003e17\u003c/em\u003e, 9207.)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFerrer RA, Klein WMP, Avishai A, Jones K, Villegas M, Sheeran P. When does risk perception predict protection motivation for health threats? A person-by-situation analysis.\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003ePLoS One\u003c/em\u003e. 2018;13(3):e0191994. Published 2018 Mar 1. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191994\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSarah Dryhurst, Claudia R. Schneider, John Kerr, Alexandra L. J. Freeman, Gabriel Recchia, Anne Marthe van der Bles, David Spiegelhalter \u0026amp; Sander van der Linden(2020)\u0026nbsp;Risk perceptions of COVID-19 around the world,\u0026nbsp;Journal of Risk Research,\u0026nbsp;23:7-8,\u0026nbsp;994-1006,\u0026nbsp;DOI:\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2020.1758193\"\u003e1080/13669877.2020.1758193\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYıldırım M, G\u0026uuml;ler A. Factor analysis of the COVID-19 Perceived Risk Scale: A preliminary study. Death Stud. 2020 Jun 25:1-8. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2020.1784311. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32584201.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFerrer RA, Klein WMP, Avishai A, Jones K, Villegas M, Sheeran P. When does risk perception predict protection motivation for health threats? A person-by-situation analysis.\u0026nbsp;PLoS One. 2018;13(3):e0191994. Published 2018 Mar 1. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191994\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGoodwin R, Gaines SO, Myers L, Neto F. Initial psychological responses to swine flu. Int J Behav Med. 2011;18(2):88-92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-010-9083-z PMID: 20195809 PMCID: PMC7090401.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHe, S., Chen, S., Kong, L.\u0026nbsp;et al.Analysis of Risk Perceptions and Related Factors Concerning COVID-19 Epidemic in Chongqing, China.\u0026nbsp;J Community Health\u0026nbsp;(2020). \u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00870-4\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00870-4\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKhosravi M. Perceived Risk of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Public Worry and Trust. Electron J Gen Med. 2020;17(4):em203. \u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/7856\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/7856\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePogue K, Jensen JL, Stancil CK, Ferguson DG, Hughes SJ, Mello EJ, Burgess R, Berges BK, Quaye A, Poole BD. Influences on Attitudes Regarding Potential COVID-19 Vaccination in the United States. Vaccines (Basel). 2020 Oct 3;8(4):582. doi: 10.3390/vaccines8040582. PMID: 33022917; PMCID: PMC7711655.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJakhar, Deepak, and Ishmeet Kaur. \u0026ldquo;Callous attitude toward doctors during COVID-19.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;Dermatologic therapy, e13885. 23 Jun. 2020, doi:10.1111/dth.13885\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"COVID-19, risk perception, trust in authorities","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-287603/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-287603/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground\u003c/strong\u003e: risk perception influences the behavior of the people. With gradual unlocking in India it is important to understand the perceived risk of people for COVID-19 issue as it might influence number of new positive cases in India.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial and method\u003c/strong\u003e:\u0026nbsp;this was an online survey which measured the perceived risk under two domain, risk perception of disease and trust people have in authorities and themselves to fight against COVID-19. SPSS 23.0 was used for data analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResult\u003c/strong\u003e: Total sample size is 797. Only participants above age of 60 have high risk perception. But overall risk perception is low. All have high trust in scientist to develop an effective vaccine soon. The overall trust of participants is high which resulted in low risk perception. According to our study participants have low perceived risk. \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c/strong\u003e: with low perceived risk, there and chances of increase of cases in COVID-19 positive patients. And people should not be misled by false sense of immunity and authorities should be prepared for second wave.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Perceived risk of COVID-19 in Central Indian population","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2021-03-11 20:43:11","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-287603/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"375dcfe6-3c27-4186-a0bd-f9b49bccc6dc","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 11th, 2021","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":2681171,"name":"Epidemiology"},{"id":2681172,"name":"General Practice"},{"id":2681173,"name":"Infectious Diseases"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2021-03-11T20:43:11+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2021-03-11 20:43:11","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-287603","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-287603","identity":"rs-287603","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"_2-kVJe1T_tPrBINL-cwx","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}