As of 14^th July 2020, 12,964,809 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) and 570,288 deaths had been reported globally. In Kuwait, the numbers stood at 55,508 confirmed cases and 393 deaths. The disease seems to be hitting hard on the country despite the measures that have been put in place. The current study sought to examine healthcare workers HCWs awareness and perceptions of coronavirus disease in Kuwait hospitals. A prospective study design was used to examine the development of the disease among 28 HCWs between mid-May and the start of June 2020. The primary findings were as follows; most of the study participants had attended lectures/ discussions on COVID-19, only few HCWs could identify the incubation period of the novel coronavirus. However, the majority could identify the most common symptoms of the disease as fever, cough, headache, sore throat, runny nose, and skin rashes. Most of the HCWs were aware that the virus transmitted through contact. A good number of the study participants also identified pneumonia, respiratory failure and death as complications associated with coronavirus disease. The study recommends running health education programs in Kuwait to promote knowledge on the coronavirus and help the HCWs develop positive attitudes and uphold important practices.

Keywords: Awareness; COVID-19; Global health emergency; Healthcare workers; Knowledge; Kuwait; Novel coronavirus; Outbreak