**4. Discussion**

Pakistan, like many other countries around the globe, continues to face serious lifethreatening effects due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence of the 3rd wave of COVID-19 cases in late March 2021 [35]. Like many low and middle-income countries (LMICs), Pakistan faces a double jeopardy of COVID-19 vaccine resistance by masses as well as the nonavailability of vaccines. By mid-March 2021, only one million doses of vaccines had been obtained by the Government of Pakistan, with a plan to receive a donation of 10 million doses through Covax, a program co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a country with a population of roughly 221 million [36,37]. With the preventive behaviors being the primary factors that assist with curbing the spread of COVID-19, this study examined the factors associated with COVID-19 prevention behavior using the Health Belief Model. The results of this study revealed that despite the survey being administered during the early months of the pandemic, the overall scores regarding COVID-19, including the perceived susceptibility and perceived severity as well as the perceived benefits and barriers of preventive measures, were high. However, despite apparently adequate levels of knowledge concerning COVID-19 and the necessary preventative measures, the cues to action and the practice of all necessary individual protective behaviors remained relatively low. For instance, social distancing was practiced

by 44.4%, and basic protective measures such as handwashing, the use of a face covering in public, etc. to protect against COVID-19 were practiced by 33.0%. Only 16% showed nine or more of the twelve protective behaviors.
