Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Metropolitan Area of , Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover

Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria

Umaru A. Pate, (Prof.)1 Department of Mass Communication Faculty of Communication Bayero University, Kano Kano, Nigeria [email protected]

Suleiman M. Yar’Adua, (PhD)2 Department of Mass Communication Faculty of Communication Bayero University, Kano Kano, Nigeria [email protected]

Aondover Eric Msughter, (PhD Fellow)3 Department of Mass Communication Faculty of Communication Bayero University, Kano Kano, Nigeria [email protected]

Abstract The outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has impacted and changed lives on a global scale. Since the first report of the confirmed cases of the Covid-19 in China and spread, the world has witnessed unprecedented mortality and morbidity, resulting in global public health emergency generating different public perception. This study examines public perception of the pandemic in Tarauni and LGA. The objectives of the study are to determine: residents’ awareness on Covid-19; the residents’ knowledge of Covid-19; and the residents’ perception of the existence of Covid-19 among residents of Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area. Perception Theory was and Knowledge Gap Theory was adopted for the study. Survey method was employed for the study and 400 respondents selected through multi stage sampling and questionnaires as a data collection tool. The study found that respondents are aware of the Covid-19. The knowledge of Covid-19 in the two local governments is 23.4%. The study further found that majority of the respondents did not believe that Covid-19 exists. The study concludes that there is a lacuna regarding public awareness, knowledge and perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State. 52 | P a g e MCC|DECEMBER.2020|Vol . 4 N o . 2

Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover

The study recommends that there is a need for people in authority and the state government to create more awareness through the media by updating relevant and appropriate information, which may enable residents to have adequate knowledge of Covid-19 in the State.

Keywords: Attitude, awareness, Covid-19, Knowledge, perception, Kano and Nigeria

Introduction The outbreak of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in China in 2019 and its rapid spread to the rest of the world has impacted and changed lives. It has caused over a million deaths worldwide (Google news, 2020). World Health Organization (2020) reported that the presence of unknown causes of pneumonia disease in Wuhan, China, which was later, confirmed as a novel coronavirus disease and further declared as a public health emergency call for international concern on January 30th, 2020. The novel virus was renamed by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes the 2019 coronavirus disease (World Health Organisation, 2020). Despite the level of advancement in health systems in high-income countries, they appeared to be the worst hit in terms of disease burden and the total Covid-19 related deaths. Acter et al., (2020) maintained that there are no proven treatments or vaccines available to control Covid-19 and this posed a significant threat to health care delivery. The epidemic curve is still rising in Russia, and some low middle-income countries like India, Peru, and Chile (Hager et al., 2020). However, Nations globally have hitherto responded to the pandemic using various response mechanism to control its spread and to find vaccines that could stem the devastating impact of the disease, yet, the impact of the pandemic still visible globally, thus countries are holding on to the preventive measures put in place to minimize the spread of the virus and flatten the curve (Hager et al., 2020). To flatten the curves, most nations, including African countries, have applied strict prevention and control measurements to curb the disease including regulations, such as general lockdown, obligatory home quarantine, ban on public gatherings, international flights restrictions and raising awareness on proper hand wash, hygiene, and sanitation as well as social distancing (Bruinen et al., 2020). Civil society organization, Nongovernmental organization and government agencies have hitherto embarked on enlightenment campaigns for good hygiene and social distancing and other preventive protocols. The rate of Covid-19 infection in the African continent is on the increase, especially in Egypt in the North and Nigeria in the West. As of September 24th2020, there were 57,849 confirmed cases, 49,098 discharged cases and 1,102 deaths in Nigeria (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, 2020). At the state level, Kano State at some point

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Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover was in the limelight, the outbreak in Kano became a major cause of concern after medical experts and members of public began reporting a sharp increase in the magnitude of deaths on various parts of the State (The North Africa Journal, 2020). As at September 24th 2020, Kano has 1,737 cases and according to the Technical Coordinator, Kano State Task Force on Covid-19, Dr. Tijjani Hussain said, Tarauni Local Government Area had the highest number of the Covid-19 cases, while Kano Metropolitan Area had the lowest number (Kurfi, et al., 2020). While the spread of the infection is high in some communities, it is low in some communities, a scenario that has necessitated studies to examine sociological, medical, communication perspectives among others to understanding such developments and others (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2020). Azlan et al., (2020) note that it is urgent to understand the public knowledge, reactions, adherence to, and acceptance of such steps that affect daily life in several ways, especially psychologically, socially, and physically. This could be achieved through knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) studies. The information generated from such studies could help in the fight against Covid-19 and similar future threats by improving the awareness level of the citizens and encourage positive attitudes, which are necessary to beat the pandemic (Saueret al., 2020). Studies like Carlos et al., (2020) and Makinde et al., (2020) revealed that individuals’ level of knowledge about an infectious disease can make them behave in ways that may prevent infection. Consequently, individuals may need to be informed about the potential risks of infections in order to adopt the right precautionary measures. At early stages of a pandemic, precautionary measures are needed to protect against possible danger and curtail the disease spread. In line with this, Nigerian government introduced various containment strategies as mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Richards (2017) reported that knowledge among people on how to eliminate risks in contacting Ebola virus led to a rapid drop in mid-2015 in the number of cases of infection in Nigeria. In Kano State, Kurfi et al., (2020) discovered that Kano residents lack knowledge about Covid-19 and this result in distributing false information and photographs of individuals on social media. Some of them used social media like WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to spread fear, project fake news concerning the source of the virus. Some believe that “Covid-19 is not real”, that “Covid-19 is a scam”, “Government is using it to generate money”, “it will not survive Kano’s hot temperature”, “it affects and kills only the old”, which made them rebuff Government guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus. Given the importance of knowledge of precautionary activities in curbing the spread of infectious diseases like the novel Covid-19 and moulding public perception, it is imperative to fill existing gap in the body of knowledge on the subject matter. Against the foregoing, this study examines public awareness, knowledge and perceptions of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area in Kano State.

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Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover

Objectives of the Study The aim of the study is to examine public awareness, knowledge and perceptions of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area in Kano State. The specific objectives are: i. to determine the awareness of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area in Kano State. ii. to determine whether they have knowledge of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area in Kano State iii. to determine the public perception on the existence of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area in Kano State

Literature Review

Awareness Domain of Covid-19 Priya and Sherkhane (2020) study shows a holistic picture of awareness in response to the outbreak of Covid-19. During this timely period, various studies have been published exploring the epidemiology, causes, clinical manifestation and diagnosis, prevention, and control of the novel coronavirus. However, studies in awareness domain mainly among frontline workers help to minimize the impact of the outbreak. The basic awareness regarding Covid-19 among the study participants was appreciable, though few misconceptions noted on a lesser note. They conclude that there is a need for improvement in understanding of epidemiology, transmission, treatment, and methods of control and prevention by strengthening all channels of communication. The study recommends that conducting periodic webinars for educational intervention must be given a consideration, which could be a useful and safe tool to create more awareness. Hager et al., (2020) found that the current coronavirus pandemic has impacted and changed lives on a global scale since its emergence and spread from China in late 2019. It has caused millions of infections, and thousands of deaths worldwide. However, the control of this pandemic still remains unachievable in many African countries including Egypt and Nigeria, despite the application of some strict preventive and control measures. The study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions of Egyptians and Nigerians towards the Covid-19 pandemic. The study used a cross- sectional community-based questionnaire survey in both countries. Participants’ demography, knowledge, attitude, and perceptions towards the Covid-19 outbreak were obtained using a convenience sampling technique.

Knowledge Domain of Covid-19 Kashid et al., (2020) highlight the need of spreading awareness and updating the relevant and appropriate knowledge of Covid-19 disease amongst the undergraduate

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Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover dental students. In the study, frequency analysis was performed and different questions were addressed under the knowledge domain. From the different components assessed in the knowledge domain, correct responses were lowest for Modes of transmission of disease [186 (33.2%)], diagnosis of disease [190(33.9%)], treatment [174 (31.1%)], pandemicity [183 (32.7%)] and disaster management 134 [(23.9%)]. The remaining components showed more than 50% of correct responses of the students; with the highest correct responses of epidemiology and prevention of the Covid-19 disease. The knowledge score obtained was primarily categorized as 1–6 – “Low”, 7-12- “Average or Satisfactory”, 13–18 – “Good” and 19-24- “Excellent”. The maximum number of students were in the average knowledge category (48.9%), followed by good knowledge (47.5%). However, the results show that the overall mean knowledge score of all the undergraduate students was 12.67 (± 2.98), which comes under the category “Good”. Kurfi et al., (2020) examined digital images on social media and proliferation of fake news on Covid-19 in Kano State. The objectives of the study were to ascertain the extent to which residents of Kano have been exposed to digital images on Covid-19 that often accompany fake news in social media; to establish the extent to which residents of Kano are influenced by fake news on Covid-19 with images; to find out the factors that often lead to influence of fake news with digital images on Covid-19 among social media users in Kano and to ascertain the social media platforms mostly used in spreading fake news about Covid-19 in the state. The study found that Kano residents were significantly exposed to digital images that often accompany fake news on social media. They read news online every day, prefer news accompanied by images, share and like news online. Factors responsible for proliferation of fake news on social media include: perception or instinct, eagerness to be the first to share images and lack of knowledge about image verification tools. The study concludes that ignorance and the old belief that pictures do not lie were responsible for this. Thus, previous findings in the literature are significant and relevant to the subject matter under investigation.

Perception Domain of Covid-19 Zaid et al., (2020) found that approximately 40% of the participants perceive that Covid-19 resulted from the genetic modification of a virus in a laboratory, which contradicts studies that have found Covid-19 to be 96% the same at the whole‐genome level to a coronavirus detected in bats from Yunnan province in China 15. Nevertheless, the Jordanian public is in possession of some accurate information about Covid-19. Almost all of the participants knew that Covid-19 has many symptoms, and half of them had chosen at least one of the symptoms of dry cough, fever and shortness of breath, while only a few of participants thought that diarrhea and vomiting may be symptoms of Covid-19. This aligns with studies like Huanget al., (2019) that have found fever and cough to be the dominant symptoms and gastrointestinal symptoms to be uncommon. Most participants agreed that healthy people can be carriers of the virus. In addition,

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Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover more than three quarters of participants thought that the elderly and people with underlying health conditions (low immunity, diabetes or heart problems) are at an especially high risk of death from COVID-19. Olapegba et al., (2020) assessed the perceptions and knowledge about Covid-19 among the general public in Nigeria during the initial week of the pandemic lockdown in the country. From March 28 to April 4, 2020, the cross-sectional survey used an anonymous online questionnaire to collect data from respondents within Nigeria. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit 1357 respondents, aged 15-70 years, from 180 cities and towns within Nigeria. Study data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Approximately more than half (57.02%) of the respondents were male with high level of education (48.86% bachelor’s degree). Approximately half of the respondents (46.94%) established that Covid-19 was a biological weapon designed by the Chinese government. 94% of the respondents identified contact with airborne droplets via breathing, sneezing, or coughing as the most common mode of transmission; most respondents associated Covid-19 with coughing (81.13%), shortness of breath (73.47%) and fever (62.79%). Regular hand washing and social distancing was selected by most respondents (94.25%) as a way of preventing infection whereas 11.86% reported consuming gins, garlic, ginger, herbal mixtures and African foods or soups as preventive measures against Covid-19. Majority of the respondents (91.73%) thought Covid-19 is deadly; and most respondents (84.3%) got 4 or more answers correctly. It was also observed that the traditional media (TV or Radio) are the most common source of health information about Covid-19 (93.5%). Findings also revealed that Nigerians have relatively high knowledge, mostly derived from traditional media, about Covid-19. Their perceptions of Covid-19 bear implications across public health initiatives, compliance with precautionary behaviour as well as bilateral relations with foreign nations. The study recommends that evidence-based campaign should be intensified to remove misconceptions and promote precautionary measures. The preceding study is apparent to this study in understanding public perceptions of Covid-19 in the selected local governments.

Theoretical Framework The study espouses the theoretical paradigm of Perception Theory and Knowledge Gap Theory. Perception Theory was propounded by Berelson and Steiner in 1964. The theory explains the complex role of sense organs in people’s behavioural responses to issues (Osuagwu, 2020). They argue that humans are endowed with senses (perceptual) organs (eyes, ears and nose) to help them recognise and process information in the environment, and such organs serve as inputs to the brain for information processing. The exponents see perception as the complex process by which people select, organise and interpret sensory stimulations into a meaningful and

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Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover coherent picture of the world (Anaetoet al., 2008).Osuagwu (2020) observed that perception is the procedure in which humans interpret the sensory data, which are generated from human’s five senses. These definitions have most obviously shown that sensory organs are central to the process of perception. Perception involves two types of influences namely: structural influence and functional influence. Structural influence is the direct influence on perception as derived from the physical exposure to certain stimuli. While functional influence arises from indirect factors like belief system and other variables that influence exposure and introduce bias (Anaetoet al., 2008). Therefore, this theory is relevant to this study because the believability of Covid-19 has to do with perceptions that contradict factual beliefs. People perceive what they believe and prefer to perceive what they want based on the structural and functional influence. On the other hand, Knowledge Gap Theory was proposed by Philip Tichenor in 1970 (Tichenor, et al., 1970).The knowledge gap perspective provides a compelling idea for understanding cognitive effects of message through a theoretical framework that can accommodate traditional one-way mass media as well as two-way telematic systems. Tichenor, et al., (1970) originally advanced the “knowledge gap hypothesis” to illustrate how differences in socioeconomic status among audience members can generate knowledge gaps between and among segments of society. They explain: As the infusion of mass media information into a social system increases, segments of the population with higher socioeconomic status tend to acquire this information at a faster rate than the lower status segments, so that the gap in knowledge between these segments tends to increase rather than decrease (pp. 159-160). The knowledge gap hypothesis has been tested in both short-term and long-term studies. After reviewing prior works, Tichenor et al., (1970) submit that the theory can be re-stated in two ways. First, over time, the acquisition of knowledge about a heavily publicized topic will proceed at a faster rate among better-educated people than among those with less education. Second, at a given point in time, there should be a higher correlation between acquisitions of knowledge about topics highly publicized in the media than about topics less highly publicized. According to Ettema and Kline (2000) the literature to date on the causes of knowledge gap focuses on two categories of causal factors: audience-related factors such as differences in communication skills, motivation and media behaviour between those with high and low socioeconomic status (e.g., selective exposure and attention to the mass media, selective retention and acceptance of messages received from the mass media, social contacts), which are held to be the causes of widening gaps and message-related “ceiling effects,” which are held to be the causes of narrowing knowledge gaps (p. 183).

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There are two main aspects of the knowledge gap hypothesis. On the one hand, it assumed that knowledge would be distributed between and among social classes. On the other hand, for specific subjects or topics, some people may be better informed than others (McQuail, 2010, p. 489). The first gap “is likely to have roots in fundamental social inequalities, which the media alone cannot modify”. For the second, “there are many possibilities for opening and closing gaps and it is likely that the media do close some and open others. A number of factors can be named as relevant to the direction of media effect”. Most early inquiries about knowledge gap focused on the relationship between education levels as a proxy for socioeconomic status and levels of knowledge (e.g., Wanta and Elliott, 2000). However, a number of studies also addressed the roles of motivational factors (Gaziano and Gaziano, 2006). Kwak (2000) summarised the motivational variables investigated in prior studies to include degree of concern, need for information, issue interest, issue-related demographic or ethnic characteristics and personality factors. People’s behavioural involvement in issue-related activities (e.g., public awareness, knowledge and perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Metropolitan Area of Kano State), in particular, has been demonstrated to be strongly related to knowledge acquisition. Sharpening this focus on motivational factors, Kawk (2000) categorized knowledge gap studies into three different models based on the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and motivation. The first is the causal association model, which posits motivational variables as being causally influenced by people‘s socioeconomic characteristics, typically operationalised as education level, “the effects of education and other socioeconomic variables on the knowledge gap are theorized to be mediated by motivational factors, such as issue interest and issue involvement”. The second is the rival explanation model, which posits education and motivational variables as competing sources of knowledge acquisition with varying effects (Kawk, 2000). Even though studies have found that motivational variables were more influential than education in acquiring knowledge, there is no conclusion yet regarding which motivational variable had more impact. According to Bonfadelli (2002, p. 69) “knowledge inequalities based on educational deficits can be altered or reversed at least partly by factors like personal relevance or interest”. Likewise, Ettema and Kline (2000) emphasised that the difference between interest and motivation could account for differences in knowledge gain. The third is the motivation-contingency model, which posits that the socioeconomic-based knowledge gap is contingent on one’s level of issue-related motivational variables and that knowledge gaps between and among socioeconomic groups may widen or narrow in particular circumstances. That is, for people with high levels of motivation, the degree of education-based knowledge gap would be lower compared with the gap among those with low levels of motivation. Following this model, Kawk (2000) suggests that the knowledge gap hypothesis can be re-stated as follows: As the infusion of mass media information into a social

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Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover system increases, segments of the population motivated to acquire that information or for which that information is functional tend to acquire the information at a faster rate than those not motivated or for which it is not functional, so that the gap in knowledge between high and low groups will decrease among those who are motivated or for whom the information is functional; the gap between groups will increase among those who are not motivated or for whom the information is not functional. Therefore, the foundational axioms of knowledge gap were originally proposed to explain the traditional media’s effects on audiences. With the outbreak of Covid-19 in Kano State, it can be surmised that the influence and relevance of motivational factors, intensity of information consumed and nature or composition of communities and their available information sources (i.e., pluralistic or otherwise) may have increased. Thus, the hypothesis of this theory will be apparent to this study as audience level of knowledge about messages on Covid-19 tends to have higher knowledge than those with lower knowledge. Therefore, the magnitude of this knowledge relationship varies across different residents in Tarauni LGA and Metropolitan Kano.

Method The study adopts the positivist approach of data generation and analysis. The positivist or post-positivist assumptions have represented the traditional form of research and these assumptions dwell more on quantitative research than qualitative research. This worldview is sometimes called the “scientific method” or “doing science research”. It is also called “empirical science” and “post-positivism”. Positivists or Post- positivists hold a deterministic philosophy in which causes (probably) determine the effects or the outcomes. The problems studied by positivists reflect the need to identify and assess public awareness, knowledge and perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area in Kano State. The study adopted survey as the primary approach of data generation. This approach is often used in social and behavioural sciences to ascertain the perception, attitude, beliefs, values, opinions and characteristics of a clearly conceived and defined population. Its goal is to provide a comprehensive and generalised proposition about human disposition, (Wimmer and Dominick cited in Ya’u, 2017). The population of the study is 593,087. According to National Bureau of Statistics (2019) the population of Tarauni is = 221,844 and Kano Municipal is = 371,243. For the selected LGAs procedure, Kano has 44 local governments; however, two local governments were purposively selected for the study. They include: Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area. The two local government areas were selected because according to the Technical Coordinator, Kano State Task Force on Covid-19, Dr. Tijjani Hussain, Tarauni local government area had the highest number of the Covid-19 cases, while Kano Municipal had the lowest number. Therefore the criteria

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Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover for the purposive sampling is based on, one local government with the highest cases and one local government with the lowest cases. The respondents were reached through cluster, probability sampling method. The cluster sampling technique was used at the level of identifying the respondents to be administered the questionnaire. In doing that, two (2) wards out of 10 council wards in Tarauni LGA were selected and two (2) wards out of 13 council wards in Kano Metropolitan were also selected using lottery method. In other words, the names of the wards were written in pieces of paper and was folded, shaken and thrown and two (2) wards (Tarauni Ward and Hotoro Ward) were selected in Tarauni LGA and (Sharada and Yakasai)wards were selected from Kano Metropolitan Area, where 40 houses in the four wards were used to generate data. For the sample size, based on National Bureau of Statistics (2019) report, the population of Tarauni is = 221,844 and Kano Municipal is = 371,243. Therefore, the population of the study is 593,087. A sample size of 400 was derived from Taro 푁 Yamane’s sample size prediction table, which is: n = where n= sample size 1+푁(푒)2 required, N = number of people in the population, e = allowable error (%). Therefore, 593,087 593,087 593,087 this formula was explained in this manner: n= (0.05)2n = n 1+593,087 1+1482.71 1483.71 = 400 (rounded).Based on the population strength of each local government, equal sample size was disproportionately allocated to each of the selected LGAs. 200 respondents were selected in Tarauni and Kano Municipal respectively. Structured questionnaire was used as the primary tool of data collection and descriptive statistics as a tool for data interpretation. A trained research assistant was hired to help in administering the questionnaires to the respondents of the study. He also assisted in translating the questionnaire from English to Hausa language.

Findings and Discussion 400 questionnaires were administered to respondents, 394 copies, which represent 98.5%, were retrieved and found usable for the study as the remaining 6questionnaires, were not returned. The demographic information shows that majorities of the respondents were aged between twenty five and thirty years, whose responses are examined as follows: gender, age and education. Table 1: Gender Magnitude Frequency Percentage (%) Male 265 67.2 Female 129 32.7 Total 394 100

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The data in the table 1 shows that 67.2% of the respondents are male while 32.7% are female. It means that there are more male respondents than female in the selected local governments and wards. Table 2: Age of Respondents Age Category Frequency Percentage (%) 15-20 46 11.7 25-30 276 70.0 40 - above 72 18.3 Total 394 100

Table 2 shows the age of respondents. Based on the result, 11.7% are within the age range of 15-20, 70.0% are from 25-30 while 18.3% are 40 and above. This means that majorities of the respondents were aged between twenty five and thirty years. Table 3: Educational Attainment Frequency Percentage (%) Primary Education 28 7.1 Secondary 132 33.5 Tertiary 214 54.3 Non-formal 20 5.1 Others 0 0 Total 394 100

Table 3 shows educational attainment of the respondents. The data indicates that 7.1% of the respondents have primary education. 33.5% have secondary certificate, 54% holds tertiary certificates while 5.1% are non-formal and nothing was recorded for others. This indicates that the residents in Kano State with tertiary are significantly high. Table 4: Awareness of Covid-19 among residents of Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area Magnitude Frequency Percentage (%) Not aware 0 0 Neutral 6 1.5 Aware 388 98.5 Total 394 100.0 Table 4 shows that respondents in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area are aware of Covid-19. 1.5% of the respondents are neutral ground and 98.5% are aware

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Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover of the virus. This means that residents of Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area in Kano State are aware of the Covid-19. Kashid et al., (2020) highlight the need of spreading awareness and updating the relevant and appropriate knowledge of Covid-19 disease amongst the undergraduate dental students. In the study, frequency analysis was performed and different questions were addressed under the knowledge domain. From the different components assessed in the knowledge domain, correct responses were lowest for Modes of transmission of disease [186 (33.2%)], diagnosis of disease [190(33.9%)], treatment [174 (31.1%)], pandemicity [183 (32.7%)] and disaster management 134 [(23.9%)]. The remaining components showed more than 50% of correct responses of the students; with the highest correct responses of epidemiology and prevention of the Covid-19 disease. The knowledge score obtained was primarily categorized as 1–6 – “Low”, 7-12- “Average or Satisfactory”, 13–18 – “Good” and 19- 24- “Excellent”. The maximum number of students were in the average knowledge category (48.9%), followed by good knowledge (47.5%). However, the results show that the overall mean knowledge score of all the undergraduate students was 12.67 (± 2.98), which comes under the category “Good”. Corroborating, Kurfi et al., (2020) that found that residents were significantly exposed to digital images that often accompany fake news on social media. They read news online every day, prefer news accompanied by images, share and like news online on Covid-19 in the state. Thus, Bonfadelli (2002) established that knowledge inequalities based on educational deficits can be altered or reversed at least partly by factors like personal relevance or interest”. Likewise, Ettema and Kline (2000) emphasised that the difference between interest and motivation could account for differences in knowledge gain. Table 5: Knowledge of Covid-19 among residents of Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area Variable Frequency Percentage (%) Not knowledgeable 246 63.4 Neutral 51 13.1 Knowledgeable 91 23.4 Total 388 100.0

Table 5 examines the knowledge of Covid-19 among residents of Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area. The data point that 63.4% of the respondents are slightly knowledgeable on Covid-19, 13.1% are neither knowledgeable nor slightly knowledgeable and 23.4% of the respondents are slightly knowledge on Covid-19. This table shows that majority (63.4%) do not have knowledge of Covid-19 in the two LGAs and since awareness dos not translate to knowledge of (slight knowledge such as prevention protocol and how the virus spread) of a phenomenon and in this case 63 | P a g e MCC|DECEMBER.2020|Vol . 4 N o . 2

Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover knowledge of Covid-19, could be the reason why the infection is high in Tarauni. The few ones who have knowledge of the virus could be products of Kano metropolitan Area residents who have used such knowledge to keep the spread low. Contrary, Hager et al., (2020) found in their study that majority of the respondents (61.6%) had a satisfactory knowledge of the disease. Olapegba et al., (2020) also discovered that Nigerians have relatively high knowledge, mostly derived from traditional media about Covid-19. Their perceptions of Covid-19 bear implications across public health initiatives, compliance with precautionary behaviour as well as bilateral relations with foreign nations. Table 6: Perception on the existence of Covid-19 among residents of Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area Variable Frequency Percentage (%) Believe that Covid-19 Exist 113 29.1 Neutral 98 25.2 Do not Believe that Covid-19 Exist 177 45.6 Total 388 100.0

Table 6 shows residents perception on the existence of Covid-19. The data indicates that 29.1% believe that Covid-19 does exist in the selected local government areas, 25.2% of the respondents were neutral ground, they neither accept nor disapprove that Covid-19 exist, while 45.6% of the respondents did not believe that there Covid-19 exist. This shows that majority of the respondents did not believe that Covid-19 exist in the selected local government areas. Majority are aware but majority do not have knowledge of the disease, which could be a strong indication that the lack of knowledge could be responsible for what majority believe, that is the non-existence of the disease and thus the situation of high infection in Tarauni. Those who believe could be responsible for the low spread of the disease in Kano Metropolitan Area. Hager et al., (2020) found that the attitude of most respondents (68.9%) towards instituted preventive measures was satisfactory with an average attitude score of 6.9±1.2. Based on the findings of the study, majority of the respondents (96%) practiced self-isolation and social distancing, but only 36% follow all health recommendations. The perception of most respondents (62.1%) on the global efforts at controlling the virus and preventing further spread was satisfactory with an average score of 10.9±2.7. Only 22% of the respondents were satisfied with their country’s handling of the pandemic. Although the next finding did not directly link to the objectives of the paper, the researcher found it compelling to identify some of the challenges the residents of the two LGAs face regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. Table 7 shows some of the challenges the respondents identified.

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Table 7: The challenges regarding Covid-19 in among residents of Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area

Variable Frequency Percentage (%) Lack of proper medication 101 26.0 Poor information system 113 29.1 Lack of preventive equipment 174 44.8 Total 388 100.0

The data indicate that 26.0% of the respondents attest that lack of proper medication is a challenge, 29.1% of the respondents attribute the challenges to poor information system and 44.8% of the respondents admit that lack of preventive equipment constitute another challenge. The data show that lack of preventive equipment is the major challenge faced by Kano residents in Tarauni and Kano Municipal local governments. Interestingly, one of the challenges is the poor information system, which has a direct impact on knowledge. Poor information could lead to poor knowledge and poor knowledge could lead to not believe the existence of the virus and thus resulting in increase in spread of the virus. The study examined public awareness, knowledge and perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State Based on the findings, it is apparent respondents are aware of the Covid-19. The findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents do not have knowledge of Covid-19 in the two LGAs and since awareness dos not translate to knowledge of (slight knowledge such as prevention protocol and how the virus spread) of a phenomenon and in this case knowledge of Covid-19, could be the reason why the infection is high. The few ones who have knowledge of the virus could be products of Kano metropolitan Area residents who have used such knowledge to keep the spread low.

Conclusion Based on the findings of the study, the respondents under investigation do not have adequate knowledge of Covid-19 in the two LGA and this could be the reason why the infection is high. Similarly, majority of the respondents did not believe that Covid- 19 exist in the selected local government areas. Some of the respondents are aware but majority do not have knowledge of the disease, which could be a strong indication that the lack of knowledge could be responsible for what majority believe about the non- existence of the disease and thus the situation of high infection in Tarauni. Those who believe could be responsible for the low spread of the disease in Kano Metropolitan Area. Apparently, lack of preventive equipment is a major challenge faced by Kano residents in Tarauni and Kano Municipal local governments. The study concludes that 65 | P a g e MCC|DECEMBER.2020|Vol . 4 N o . 2

Public Awareness, Knowledge and Perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano Metropolitan Area of Kano State, Nigeria Umaru, Sulieman & Aondover there is a lacuna on the existence of the virus in the state, which becomes difficult to appreciate the perception, the awareness and the knowledge of Covid-19 in the selected local governments in Kano State.

Recommendations Based on the findings, the following recommendations are set: 1. The study recommends that there is a need for people in authority and the state government to create more awareness through the media by updating relevant and appropriate information, which may enable residents to have adequate knowledge of Covid-19 in the State. 2. There is a need for traditional rulers and media organizations to ensure that proper knowledge regarding Covid-19 in the state is given priority, through constant dissemination of information on the virus, since the residents have a slight knowledge of Covid-19. 3. Again, the challenges of poor information system, which has a direct impact on knowledge, need to be address in the state by using proper channels of communication to reach the residents, because poor information could lead to poor knowledge and poor knowledge could lead to not believing the existence of the virus and thus resulting to wide spread of the virus. 4. Researchers should replicate the study in different parts of Nigeria, using different methodological and theoretical approaches to enrich the available literature in the area.

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Authors Umaru A. Pate Ph.D., Professor & Pioneer Dean, Faculty of Communication and serving Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria and the appointed Vice Chancellor, Federal University Kashere.Gombe State Nigeria

Suleiman M. Yar’Adua Ph.D., Senior Lecturer and Former Head of Department, Mass Communication, pioneer Deputy Dean, Faculty of Communication and Pioneer Director of Bayero University FM Radio.

Aondover Eric Msughter (a Doctoral student at BUK), Award Winner of Campus Journalism as “Syndicated Writer”, 2018 and “Book Author”, 2019. The Guest Editor of Science Publishing Group (PG), New York, U.S.A and Reviewer/Editor of Academia Scholarly Journals.

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