COVID-19 and the scaled-down 2020 Hajj Pilgrimage—Decisive, logical and prudent decision making by Saudi authorities overcomes pre-Hajj public health concerns

Zumla, Alimuddin; Azhar, Esam I.; Alqahtani, Saleh A.; Shafi, Shuja; Memish, Ziad A.

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2020.08.006

Cited by 22 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…3,[8][9][10][11][12][13] In our analysis of these early cases, we detected COVID-19 transmission in two broad perspectives: random cases among travelers from Iran and, to lesser extent, Iraq or from Egypt, and patients who were infected due to subsequent local contact and transmission. 3,[8][9][10][11][12][13] People coming back from epidemic areas were less likely to look for healthcare or to be tested when symptomatic; however delays in identifying the asymptomatic index cases of some travelers meant that locally acquired cases took longer to be detected and isolated when compared with symptomatic cases, which were more likely to be easier and faster to detect and isolate. 14 Identifying index cases is a very important step in preventing and minimizing the subsequent infection transmission.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Characteristics of First Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Effort to Prevent the Early Spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Natto¹,

Alshaeri²

2021

RMHP

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To characterize the overall trends in early cases of COVID-19 and to identify the key points of the government effort to minimize the infection. Patients and Methods: A retrospective review and data were retrieved through online sources and the Saudi Ministry of Health daily announcements that were available online. The data included the number of infections per day, and the gender, nationality, location, source of infection, incidence, rate of recovery, and the rate mortality of COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia between March 1 and March 16, 2020. Results: The incidence of COVID-19 increased in the first two weeks in Saudi Arabia, from zero cases on March 1 to more than 15 cases per day on March 16, with a total of 133 cases. The majority of patients were males (54.9%), of Saudi descent (54.9%), and had travel as their source of infection (57.1%). Most of the cases were in Makah (37.6%); however, there were increases in cases in all cities. Moreover, the Saudi government enacted several steps to minimize the spreading of infection. There was no statistical significance between source of infection with gender (p = 0.323). However, there was statistical significance between source of infection and nationality (p < 0.001). Conclusion:The incidence of COVID-19 cases is expected to continue to increase. However, the efforts of the Saudi government are crucial in minimizing the spread of this infection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Characteristics of First Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Effort to Prevent the Early Spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Natto¹,

Alshaeri²

2021

RMHP

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“…To control the spread of infection, the Kingdom took drastic measures such as lockdown, quarantine, and international travel restrictions, and even canceled the hajj, annual pilgrimage. 5 The pandemic had a significant economic and social impact on the Kingdom. 6 Since there is no effective medical treatment for COVID-19 at present, the international collaborative efforts are more focused on developing a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Intent to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccination Among the Population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Survey Study

Alobaidi¹

2021

JMDH

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Background:The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant economic and social impact on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This study explored various factors influencing the COVID-19 vaccination intention and the applicability of the health belief model (HBM) to explore vaccination intention among the population of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is an online survey conducted between January 6, 2021, and January 19, 2021, using a Google TM form questionnaire among Saudi population. The questionnaire aimed to assess the factors that influence the intent to receive the vaccine, by evaluating demographic details, COVID-19 experience and health self-assessment, acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination and preferences and health belief regarding COVID-19 illness and vaccination. Results: The survey generated a total of 1333 responses from all over the 13 provinces of the Kingdom. The participants had mixed perceptions regarding the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19. A total of 959 (71.9%) subjects responded positively to COVID-19 vaccine intent. Those with >15,000 SR per month income, no past exposure to COVID-19, and comorbidities reported significantly higher intention to take vaccination (p<0.05). Among the HBM variables, the perceived susceptibility construct (OR=3.82, 95% CI 1.64-8.94) and perceived benefit construct (OR=7.59, CI 1.65-34.86) were important facilitators for a definite intention to vaccinate. The perceived barriers construct (safety [OR= 0.062, CI 0.03-0.15]; side effects of the vaccine [OR=0.31, CI 0.13-0.75]) and cues to action construct (OR=0.32, CI 0.13-0.77) were the significant factors hindering the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine. However, the perceived severity construct did not play an important role in predicting definite intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the Saudi population. Conclusion:The study has important implications for promoting COVID-19 vaccination uptake among the population of Saudi Arabia.

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“…Alternatively, a camel-derived virus more distantly related to MERS-CoV and with the ability to replicate in the human upper airway efficiently may emerge, and similarly to SARS-CoV-2, would have immediate pandemic potential, especially with over 10 million pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia from 182 countries annually. Whilst the umrah and hajj pilgrimages have recently been scaled down [ 31 ] in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, local and international travel to and from Middle East continues, and there are plans to re-open the Hajj to international pilgrims [ [32] , [33] , [34] ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus – The need for global proactive surveillance, sequencing and modeling

Al‐Tawfiq

Petersen

Memish

et al. 2021

Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease

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COVID-19 and the scaled-down 2020 Hajj Pilgrimage—Decisive, logical and prudent decision making by Saudi authorities overcomes pre-Hajj public health concerns

Cited by 22 publications

References 17 publications

Characteristics of First Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Effort to Prevent the Early Spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Characteristics of First Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Effort to Prevent the Early Spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Predictors of Intent to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccination Among the Population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Survey Study

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus – The need for global proactive surveillance, sequencing and modeling

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