Introduction:

COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease which may cause great mortality among people with comorbidities. It is thus considered to be a global public health problem.

Objective:

Evaluate the level of knowledge about warning signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in the population of Lima, Peru.

Methods:

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. In compliance with the selection criteria, a sample of 307 patients was obtained through a virtual survey applied in the city of Lima from 15 June to 8 July 2020. The tool was validated by expert judgment and Kr-20 (0.71). Bivariate analysis was based on the chi-square test, and the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U statistical tests were used for differences in knowledge means, in view of their non-parametric distribution (Kolmogorov-Smirnov: p < 0.05). A confidence interval of 95% and a value of p < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.

Results:

Mean age of participants was 37.5 ± 13.5 years. Prevalence of poor knowledge was 48.2%. The warning sign most commonly identified by the population was dyspnea. Of the population surveyed, 55% knew of at least one warning sign. The symptoms most frequently recognized by the population were loss of taste, fever, headache and a sore throat. Women were better than men identifying warning signs (p < 0.05). People with an independent job and secondary education had difficulty identifying COVID-19 warning signs (p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Nearly half of the population studied had poor knowledge about the warning signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Dyspnea was the warning sign most commonly identified by the population.

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