Background The first case of COVID-19 infection in Saudi Arabia was reported in Qatif on March 2nd, 2020. Here, we describe the clinical characteristics of the initial COVID-19 patients in that area. Methods This is an observational study describing the clinical presentation, radiographic and laboratory data of COVID-19 cases. Results From March 1st, 2020 to April 5th, 2020 we identified a total of 82 adult COVID-19 patients. The median age of the patients was 50 years, with a range of 30 to 60 years and most of patients were female 54 (65.9%). Of all the patients, 29 (35.4%) were contacts and 43 (52.4%) were returning travelers, mainly from Iraq (65% of the total returning travelers). Comorbidities were present in 50% of patients, G6PD deficiency in 33%, hypertension in 27%, and diabetes mellitus in 26%. Chest radiographs were abnormal in 46% of symptomatic and 15.5% of asymptomatic patients (P value = 0.0035). Of all patients, 4 (4.87%) required intensive care admission. There was no significant difference in time to negative RT-PCR with mean days to negativity of 13.6 and 16.9 for asymptomatic and symptomatic group, respectively (P value = 0.42). Conclusions In the initial Epicenter of the COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia, the majority of the patients were asymptomatic and were returning travelers. Comorbidities were present in nearly half of the patients.

Introduction: It has been found that the viral infection is linked to the ABO blood group. Limited studies investigated the relationship of the ABO blood group and susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. Objective: To investigate the association between the ABO blood group and the COVID-19 susceptibility. Material & Methods: The study is a retrospective cohort study. It included all hospitalized confirmed COVID-19 patients in Qatif central hospital, Eastern province, Saudi Arabia. We included both genders and people who are older than 14 years of age. The study was conducted in the period between 15 th March, and 15 th April, 2020. Results: Our sample consists of 72 patients; we found a percentage distribution of 23.62%, 33.33%, 9.72%, and 33.33% for blood groups A, B, AB and O, respectively. Our results showed significantly increased risk for AB blood groups (P < 0.05) and significantly lower risk for the O blood group (P < 0.05). Although there was a higher percentage distribution of the B blood group among COVID-19 patients as compared to the blood donors' groups, this difference did not reach statistical significance. There was no significant difference in the risk of COVID-19 in blood group A with a distribution of 23.60% in blood donors' group, and 23.62% in COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that among confirmed COVID-19 patients, patients with AB blood group have higher susceptibility while patients with O blood group have lower susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. Our study has limitations and further studies are needed.

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Introduction: During COVID-19 pandemic, isolation and quarantine as preventive measures have been implemented. Isolation is often a bad experience for isolated people and it could affect the psychological and mental health. Objectives: To study the impact of isolation on the psychological and mental health of isolated hospitalized suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. Material & Methods: A single-center cohort, descriptive survey involving isolated confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients in Qatif central hospital, Eastern province, Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted between March 22 and April 18, 2020. Information was collected through an online Arabic-language questionnaire. Our sample included both male and female. Anxiety and depression symptoms during hospitalization were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: A total of 52 questionnaires were returned completed. The majority of the respondents were females (65.4%). Most of the participants were less than 60 years of age (90.4%). Three patients were known to have previous mental illness. About two-thirds of the participants were isolated in shared rooms. The duration of isolation was less than 10 days in 72.3% of our sample. Borderline and abnormal scores for depression and anxiety were observed in about 38.4%, and 17.3% of patients, respectively. Three patients had both abnormal depression and anxiety scores. Conclusion: Isolation for contagious infections such as COVID-19 could cause How to cite this paper: Alhajjaj, A