GCC residents see Coronavirus as a major threat to public health: Study reveals

Respondents from Saudi Arabia (67 per cent) are more likely to consider Coronavirus as a major threat in their area of residence, followed by people in Kuwait (61 per cent) and UAE (52 per cent).

Recently, the World Health Organisation listed some recommendations for people to protect themselves and others from getting infected.

The study found that fewer than two-thirds of GCC residents are already taking these precautionary measures to safeguards themselves against the disease. Sixty-five per cent maintain personal hygiene by washing their hands regularly, and almost as many (61 per cent) maintain social distance by refraining from visiting crowded areas.

Many avoid close contact with people who are sick (58 per cent), cover their nose and mouth while coughing (52 per cent). Comparatively, fewer people avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands (46 per cent) although it is one of the top recommendations by the health authorities.

People in Asian and GCC nations are substantially more likely to feel threatened by the disease than Europeans and Americans. In Asia-Pacific and the GCC region the majority (58 per cent to 77 per cent) consider the virus a major threat (with Australia an exception at 37 per cent). In the nine European countries surveyed this figure ranges only from seven per cent to 28 per cent, while in the USA it stands at 27 per cent.

In addition, in almost every country and region surveyed people are more likely to see coronavirus as a major threat globally than at home, with the exception of two places where this is not the case: China and Hong Kong. The 69 per cent of Chinese people who see the disease as a major threat anywhere in the world is eight points lower than the 77 per cent who see it as a major threat nationally. In Hong Kong the difference is between 71 per cent and 68 per cent.