Community Behavioral and Perceived Responses in the COVID-19 Outbreak in Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: Community responses are important for the management of early-phase outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Perceived susceptibility and severity are considered key elements that motivate people to adopt nonpharmaceutical interventions. This study aimed to (i) explore perceived susceptibility and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) examine the practice of nonpharmaceutical interventions, and (iii) assess the potential association of perceived COVID-19 susceptibility and severity with the practice of nonpharmaceutical interventions among people living in Afghanistan. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used, using online surveys disseminated from April to May 2020. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants of this study. The previously developed scales were used to assess the participants' demographic information, perceived risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and perceived severity of COVID-19. Multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the potential association of perceived COVID-19 susceptibility and severity with the practice of nonpharmaceutical interventions. RESULTS: The Internet was the main source for obtaining COVID-19 information among participants in this study. While 45.8% of the participants believed it was "very unlikely" for them to get infected with COVID-19, 76.7% perceived COVID-19 as a severe disease. Similarly, 37.5% believed the chance of being cured if infected with COVID-19 is "unlikely/very unlikely." The majority of participants (95.6%) perceived their health to be in "good" and "very good" status. Overall, 74.2% mentioned that they stopped visiting public places, 49.7% started using gloves, and 70.4% started wearing a mask. Participants who believed they have a low probability of survival if infected with COVID-19 were more likely to wear masks and practice hand washing. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that communities' psychological and behavioral responses were affected by the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan, especially among young Internet users. The findings gained from a timely behavioral assessment of the community might be useful to develop interventions and risk communication strategies in epidemics within and beyond COVID-19.

Medical Education in Nepal: Impact and Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a global shift toward online distance learning due to travel limitations and physical distancing requirements as well as medical school and university closures. In low- and middle-income countries like Nepal, where medical education faces a range of challenges-such as lack of infrastructure, well-trained educators, and advanced technologies-the abrupt changes in methodologies without adequate preparation are more challenging than in higher-income countries. In this article, the authors discuss the COVID-19-related changes and challenges in Nepal that may have a drastic impact on the career progression of current medical students. Outside the major cities, Nepal lacks dependable Internet services to support medical education, which frequently requires access to and transmission of large files and audiovisual material. Thus, students who are poor, who are physically disadvantaged, and who do not have a home situation conducive to online study may be affected disproportionately. Further, the majority of teachers and students do not have sufficient logistical experience and knowledge to conduct or participate in online classes. Moreover, students and teachers are unsatisfied with the digital methodologies, which will ultimately hamper the quality of education. Students' clinical skills development, research activities, and live and intimate interactions with other individuals are being affected. Even though Nepal's medical education system is struggling to adapt to the transformation of teaching methodologies in the wake of the pandemic, it is important not to postpone the education of current medical students and future physicians during this crisis. Looking ahead, medical schools in Nepal should ensure that mechanisms are proactively put into place to embrace new educational opportunities and technologies to guarantee a regular supply of high-quality physicians capable of both responding effectively to any future pandemic and satisfying the nation's future health care needs.