COVID-19 has ushered in a catastrophe of an unprecedented scale across all parts of the world. Confirmed cases and death toll are constantly on an upward trend. Various measures to control the disease have been adopted globally including in Ethiopia. However, people’s adherence to such control measures is affected by their knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) during the pandemic. This cross-sectional online survey was therefore, conducted to appraise the KAP vis-a-vis COVID-19 containment strategy during May 13-25, 2020. The online survey questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics and interrogations, pertaining to knowledge (15 items), attitude (10 items) and practices (7 items), framed in accordance to previous studies. A total of 1,484 respondents completed the survey. The overall correct response rating and average score of the knowledge were 74.7 % and 11.2 ± 2.2 respectively. Maximum respondents (63 %) could be bracketed together with a moderate level on knowledge, attitudes while only 43 % had moderate level of practice, with significant difference across demographic variables. Despite the moderate level, the practices were not creditable as the registered values evinced that 1 out of 5 never wore nose mask, washed hands or maintained social distance. In a similar vein, 17.6 %, and 43.2 % of the respondents were in high and in medium risk of infection, respectively. Results of our study recommended the importance and need of health education programs aimed at improving KAP, especially the practices in the milieu of COVID-19.

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Competing interestsNo potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported. Funding sourcesState funding sources (grants, funding sources, equipment, and supplies). Include name and number of grant if available.

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