Mitigating Community Transmission of Covid-19 Pandemic in Ahia State, Nigeria: the Place of Information Sharing and Utilization:- Amogu, Uma K.

ABSTRACT

Quality health information dissemination is key to the prevention and control of diseases especially novel ones like COVID-I9. The place of information sharing and utilization in mitigating community transmission of COVID-19 in Abia State, Nigeria is the focus of this study. Using a questionnaire distributed through email as the instrument for data collection, 375 respondents drawn from church groups, community-based socio-cultural organizations and community development unions from six local government areas across the three senatorial zones that make up the st.fte whose emails could be obtained, were surveyed. Purposive sampling techniques were used to determine the sample size of the respondents. Seven objectives and seven research questions were formulated to guide the focus of this study. Data collected in line with the research questions were collated and presented in tables respectively. Simple percentage. frequency counts and mean values were used for data analysis, while the research questions formed the basis for data analysis. Results from the analysis of data revealed that people in Abia State were well aware of the existence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), however. infonnation shared and received were not well utilized. The study also identified various barriers to the utilization of the shared information such as unreliable information, unverified infonnation and some mitigation strategies. The study, therefore, recommended that government should re-strategize on their methods of disseminating information for the mitigation of community transmission of COVI D-19 in Abia State among others.