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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the first pandemic in history where technologies and social media are used on a large scale to make people safe, informed, productive, and connected. At the same time, these technologies enabled the rise of the infodemic, which endangered pandemic control. This study aimed to assess COVID-19 information exposure in the community, the efforts to find related information in online media, and COVID-19 preventive behavior. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 909 participants in Indonesia using the consecutive sampling technique. Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed through social media (WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook) and analyzed using univariate analysis, bivariate analysis (Chi-square test), and multivariate analysis (multiple logistic regression). The results showed that about 838 (92.2%) participants said they often or always obtain information about COVID-19 online, 662 (72.8%) participants stated that information from online sources increased their knowledge of the disease, and 728 (80.1%) said that online information enabled them to make preventive efforts. Marital status (AOR = 1.81, p-value = 0.002) and perceived susceptibility (AOR = 1.42, p-value = 0.011) were the most influential factors for COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Information sources and channels frequently accessed by the community must be professionally managed by the government as valuable tools for mitigating an epidemic or pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupts rabies control activities in the community. A new approach is needed to control rabies during the COVID-19 pandemic through digital health interventions by conducting digital surveillance and education. This study aimed to determine key attitude indicators in controlling rabies during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study on 166 participants in Denpasar City with a total of 31 indicators measuring five variables: perceptions of the benefits of rabies control (6 indicators), perceptions of rabies risk (6 indicators), perceptions of obstacles to rabies control (5 indicators), perceptions of the need for technology (7 indicators), and attitudes toward rabies control (7 indicators) were analyzed using partial least square-structural equation modeling. The results revealed that 80.7% of participants owned a dog, and sources of rabies information were from social media (45%), the internet (33.7%), and rabies volunteers (33.1%). The model explained that perception of the benefits of rabies control and the need for technology had a direct effect on attitudes toward rabies control (p-value<0.001 and 0.015). In brief, perceived benefits and the need for technology influence attitudes toward rabies control during the COVID- 19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]