An Epidemiological Study of COVID-19 Cases in Al-Leith, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background and objective Ever since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first detected in December 2019, more than 0.550 million cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the number is on the rise. In this study, we aimed to perform an epidemiological analysis of COVID-19 cases in Al-Leith, KSA. Methods A community-based descriptive study was carried out to assess the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Al-Leith, KSA. The relevant data were collected using a questionnaire designed for this study, which included questions on basic information and characteristics in addition to data on COVID-19. Data were analyzed using the SPSS Statistics software (IBM, Armonk, NY). Results The significant findings were as follows: people aged between 26-40 years were more affected (55.7%) than other age groups, and more than half (74.1%) of COVID-19 patients were female; most of them were employed (85, 48,9%), and most of those got infected through direct contact (137, 78.7%) with other infected people. About 163 (93.7%) cases were asymptomatic, and 168 (96.6%) cases were notified to the health authorities. The findings also illustrated that 78 (44.8%) COVID-19 cases suffered from psychological impact due to infection; 83 (47.7%) cases had at least one case in the family before they became infected. The majority of cases (93.7%) suffered from symptomatic COVID-19. A considerable number of COVID-19 patients did not follow precautions before and after infection. Conclusions The study concluded that various age groups were susceptible to developing COVID-19, and direct contact was the main mode of transmission. Moreover, a considerable number of infected people did not adhere to precautionary measures.

Exploring interrelationships of COVID-19 dimensions in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review

“…There are many statistics on spread of infection including case fatality in Saudi Arabia (Alabdulkarim et al 2020 ); demonstrating old age (above 60 years) is a high-risk group (Asdaq et al 2022 ). Studies examined symptoms, root causes of infection, and major affected at-risk groups including international passengers revealing non-adherence to precautionary measures such as mask, physical distance, and contact with people in isolation as reasons for infection (Jdaitawi 2020 ; Elawad et al 2021 ). Socio-demographics of COVID-19 patients such as sex, age group, nationality, source of infection, employment, type of infection, and treatment dimensions were explored by various researchers (Jdaitawi et al 2020 ; Elawad et al 2021 ; Almarashi et al 2021 ).…”

“…Studies examined symptoms, root causes of infection, and major affected at-risk groups including international passengers revealing non-adherence to precautionary measures such as mask, physical distance, and contact with people in isolation as reasons for infection (Jdaitawi 2020 ; Elawad et al 2021 ). Socio-demographics of COVID-19 patients such as sex, age group, nationality, source of infection, employment, type of infection, and treatment dimensions were explored by various researchers (Jdaitawi et al 2020 ; Elawad et al 2021 ; Almarashi et al 2021 ). Females, natives, early adults, and employed persons in direct contact are more affected.…”

Epidemiological Study of COVID-19 in Single Center in Baghdad City-Iraq

“…Study of Saudi Arabia more than half (74.1%) of COVID-19 patients were female; most of them were employed 85 (48.9%). About 163 (93.7%) cases were asymptomatic [13].…”