ASSESSMENT OF LEVELS OF ADHERENCE TO COVID-19 PROTOCOLS AND MEASURES OF PREVENTION AMONG ABIA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (ABSU)

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus, characterized by mild to severe respiratory illness, it has over four variants which are namely alpha, beta, delta, omicron, e.t.c. Coronavirus disease can be transmitted from one person to another and there are several ways this can happen which include droplets or aerosols, airborne transmission, surface transmission, e.t.c. Students have been enlightened on COVID-19 and encouraged to adhere to protocols and preventive measures. An observational cross-sectional epidemiologic study design was used to assess the level of adherence to COVID-19 protocols and measures of prevention among Abia State University students. Data was obtained from Abia State University students across two campuses Aba and Uturu respectively. Self administered questionnaires were used and analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results were presented in tables. The study reveals the following: 394(98.5%) of the 400 respondents have heard of COVID-19, and 392(98%) showed good knowledge of the causative agent. 242(60.4%) of the 400 respondents believed NCDC protocols are helpful to battle COVID-19. This belief was not shown in the observational results which had 71.4% defaulting in social distancing and 100% lack of use of facemasks. Majority of the respondents 230(57.6%) rejected taking the vaccine if they had access to it.135(33.8%) of the respondents did not accept going to quarantine if they develop symptoms of COVID-19. The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic to the individual, families, schools and the community at large cannot be overemphasized. . Due to the fact that there is currently no known cure, prevention is our best bet at combating this virus. Therefore all hands need to be on deck to combat this virus. Key words: Assessment, Adherence, Prevention, COVID-19, Vaccine