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Background: COVID – 19 infection is a serious pandemic the world is now facing. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 infection among medical students at a private medical college in central Kerala.  Methods: A cross-sectional web-based study was conducted during April-May 2020 in a private medical college in Ernakulam District using the Universal sampling technique. The study tool was a semi-structured validated questionnaire containing sociodemographic details and questions on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding COVID-19 infection. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. Results: A total of 288 students were included in the study, with a mean age of 21±1.4. The male-to-female ratio was 2.75:1. Medical students showed adequate knowledge (81.6%), attitude (91.3%), and practice (84.7%) towards the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. The main symptoms of COVID-19 infection were known to at least 83% of the participants. The majority (85.4%) were aware that there is no specific treatment for COVID-19 infection and 90% were aware of the main modes of the disease transmission. The majority (99%) of the medical students believed that COVID-19 infection could be prevented through social distancing, wearing masks, and the practice of self-hygiene. About 75.6% believed that government measures for prevention are adequate. Steam inhalation, saline gargling, and consumption of vitamin C-rich foodstuffs were the main specific measures adopted. Older age and female gender were found to be associated with better knowledge. Conclusion: Adequate KAP levels among medical students in this study are attributable to the current lockdown and the strict government measures to contain the infection.

Background: Elderly constitutes a vulnerable group for depression, as they are especially prone to suffer adverse consequences of a depressive episode and have greater rates of completed suicides. This study aims to estimate the prevalence and determinants of geriatric depression.  Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among 250 elderlies from 1st January 2019 to 1st January 2020 in the different rural blocks of Ernakulam district, India. The multistage sampling technique and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30) were used to collect the data. A score of 0 9 is considered "normal", 10 19 is labeled as "mildly depressed", and 20 30 as "severely depressed". Statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS software. The Chi-square test /Fisher's exact test was used to study the association between the socio-demographic and behavioral variables with depression. Results: The mean age was 69.33 ± 7.41years and male: female ratio was 0.55: 1.The overall prevalence of depression was 52.4%. Advanced age over 70years [OR=2.04;95% CI, 1.227 – 3.394; P=0.006], female gender[OR=2.844;95% CI,1.663-4.865; P =<0.001], lack of gainful employment [OR=3.504; 95% CI, 1.833–6.699; P =<0.001], physical dependence [OR=0.365;95% CI,0.162–0.821; P =0.012], financial dependence [OR=0.388; 95% CI, 0.219–0.687; P =<0.001], presence of medical co morbidities [OR=0.428; 95% CI, 0.212–0.866; P =0.016],poor lifestyle including the lack of regular exercise [OR =2.020; 95% CI,1.174–3.473; P =0.010], addiction to alcohol [OR=4.932;95%CI,1.600-15.208; P =0.004] and addiction to tobacco smoking [OR=2.905;95%CI,1.273-6.628; P =0.009] and poor family support [OR= 5.180;95% CI,716–15.636; P = 0.002] were found to be significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression among the elderlies was high, and hence early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential to reduce its burden in the community.