The novel coronavirus, first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019 quickly spread throughout the world. The first case was detected in Pakistan on February 26, 2020, following which schools and workplaces were shut down and cities went into lockdowns.

Considering this, VFAHT-DUHS’ Zoonotic and Media Division collaborated to conduct a social media awareness campaign regarding coronavirus. The activity covered the following topics:

• What is the coronavirus? How does it spread?
• Symptoms of COVID-19
• Precautionary Measures to be taken
• How to wash your hands properly
• Advisory on wearing a mask (according to WHO)

The activity was a Social Media campaign, as it is the primary medium of awareness during the lockdown. It was initiated on March 9, 2020, on the Facebook and Instagram pages of the VFAHT-DUHS Local council. One poster was uploaded each day covering one of the above-stated topics, in the following sequence:

9th March: What is Coronavirus? How does it spread?

10th March: Symptoms of COVID-19

11th March: Safety Precautions

12th March: How to Wash Hands

14th March: Advisory on wearing a mask

The activity was concluded on 14th March 2020. All information in the posters had been collected by the members of the Zoonotic division and was from authentic sources (WHO, CDC). The posts were shared by Local council members, and the Media division kept a record of the reach and response of each post.

Early March was a time of uncertainty and confusion for many. Information about the symptoms and precautionary methods of COVID-19 was not known to the common person.

As COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by WHO (during the progression of our online activity), VFAHT’s platform served as a source of knowledge and guidance.