The night of 12 March, when UM announced it would close its doors due to COVID-19, six friends, all 2nd-year students of the bachelor programme Biomedical Sciences, were enjoying their time together. Beatrice Tavelli: “When we found out about the situation, each of us had a very different reaction; from those who already expected this to happen, to others who were astounded by the situation. I suggested conducting a study on how UM students perceived and dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw it as a great opportunity to use our knowledge and free time to contribute. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we knew it would be difficult to work on this together, but, despite challenges, we managed to carry on with the project.”

Serious threat

They analysed their data using a statistical approach, focusing on the differences between UM faculties. Tavelli: “We saw that most of the students realised quite soon that COVID-19 was a serious threat and that approximately half of the students thought they were likely to get infected. Students felt well informed about the situation and used reliable sources of information.”

Approximately 60% of students followed all the government guidelines. Although students across all faculties responded similarly, the responses from FSE students caught their eye. Tavelli: “Most FSE students thought themselves to be relatively well informed about the COVID-19 pandemic; they actively searched for information and used reliable sources. While FSE was the faculty with the highest percentage of compliance with guidelines, most FSE students did not think they were very likely to contract the virus. Moreover, FSE students relied less on UM updates and half of them found the UM updates on COVID-19 not helpful. In addition, we also found that significantly more FHML students have had contact with more than three people at the same time, and that significantly fewer FASOS students relied on reliable sources of information.”