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Objective:The aim of this study was to assess the stigma associated with coronavirus disease - 2019 (COVID-19) among health care workers (HCWs) in Indonesia during the early phase of the pandemic.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 hospitals across the country in March, 2020. A logistic regression was employed to assess the association between stigma and explanatory variables.Results:In total, 288 HCWs were surveyed, of which 93.4% had never experienced any outbreaks. Approximately 21.9% of the respondents had stigma associated with COVID-19. HCWs who were doctors, had not participated in trainings related to COVID-19, worked in the capital of the province, worked at private hospitals, or worked at a hospital with COVID-19 triage protocols were likely to have no stigma associated with COVID-19.Conclusions:The stigma associated with COVID-19 is relatively high among HCWs in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Adequate dissemination of knowledge and adequate protection are necessary to reduce stigma among HCWs.

Objective: To assess healthcare workers’ knowledge of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the early phase of the outbreak in Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 12 hospitals in Indonesia from March 6 to March 25, 2020. Healthcare workers’ knowledge on COVID-19 was assessed, and demographic data, workplace characteristics, and medical professional characteristics as well as the current local situation of COVID-19 were collected. To characterize determinants associated with knowledge, a logistic regression analysis was employed. Results: Out of 288 healthcare workers who completed the interview-assisted questionnaire, 149 (51.7%) respondents had a good knowledge. Nurses and other types of healthcare workers had lower odds of having good knowledge compared to doctors: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.38; 95% CI: 0.20-0.72 and aOR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.13-0.73, respectively. Compared to healthcare workers who had medical practice experience less than 5 years, those who had worked for more than 10 years had lower knowledge (aOR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.20-0.90). Healthcare workers who worked in the infection department had higher knowledge compared to those in the emergency room (aOR: 14.33; 95% CI: 3.67-55.88). Conclusions: The knowledge of COVID-19 among surveyed healthcare workers was relatively low. The COVID-19 response in Indonesia will require further education and enhancement of the capacity of healthcare workers in the emergency room where COVID-19 patients may be treated the earliest.