Take this online course, become an ambassador in fight against Covid-19

Abu Dhabi - The course takes only an hour.

An online course is encouraging the general public to become ambassadors to disseminate the right information in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been launched by Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The course - Let's Break the Chain of Covid-19 Infection - is a unique way to spread the word about preventive measures to combat coronavirus and dispel doubts even from the confines of one's home.

It is available at https://learn.mbru.ac.ae/courses/covid19 and will hardly take an hour's time. At the end, each new ambassador will receive a certificate and then as a first task need to challenge three people to join the course.

Dr Hanan Alsuwaidi, assistant professor of family medicine at MBRU University, said the course seeks to identify and empower members of the community to prevent and control the spread of coronavirus.

"In this course, you will learn about the ways respiratory infections are transmitted, the elements of the chain of infection, and effective prevention strategies," Alsuwaidi pointed out.

Dr Abiola Senok, professor, microbiology and infectious diseases, and one of the instructors, noted that the symptoms of infection, including fever, cough and shortness of breath, may appear in as less as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure.

"Scientists are working hard to understand this new virus and produce a vaccine. Antibiotics do not work against viruses; they only work on bacterial infections. Therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention."

Single window of authentic info

Buhari Bin Abdul Qadir, a resident, who undertook the course and is an ambassador now, said the course is a single window to gather all information about Covid-19.

"These days we are getting different sets of information from multiple sources, including WhatsApp forwards which we don't know are genuine or not. Therefore, this initiative is the best way to educate people and pass on the right information. I have shared links of the course with all my contacts and WhatsApp groups. I am happy that so many people have already become ambassadors. Let's spread the word."

How it works

The course -- split into various sections and explained through videos and graphics -- will inform people about how respiratory infections are transmitted, six elements of the chain of infection and ways to prevent it, including the use of face masks. It will also offer answers to what is a chain of infection, can chain of infection be broken, does washing hands and hand sanitisers really work, what is the cough etiquette, how to clean mobile phones, when to wear masks and so on. Also after each section, there is a brief test to check the understanding of the topics. Upon completion, a certificate will be issued in the new ambassador's name.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com