COVID-19 in Eastern Mediterranean Region Countries

Abstract

Background: COVID-19, as an emerging disease, is characterized by acute respiratory syndrome and caused by a coronavirus. The disease was first seen in China and gradually spread across other parts of the world. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 characteristics in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Methods: The data of confirmed COVID-19 cases and related deaths in different countries were extracted from the reports of the World Health Organization and transferred to SPSS software, where final calculations were performed, and fatality rates were obtained. Results: The highest rate of COVID-19 was observed in Iran, with 975951 confirmed cases. The highest COVID-19 death rate was also in Iran, with 48628 deaths, and the highest fatality rate was in Yemen with 29.12%. Conclusions: The findings related to the confirmed cases of COVID-19, including death reports, showed that the quality and accuracy of reports were not the same in different countries, in different countries, including Iran, in which health equipment and facilities are comparable with developed countries. Observing social distancing and avoiding unnecessary travel are essential to prevent the disease from spreading across the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Income inequality and its association with COVID-19 cases and deaths: a cross-country analysis in the Eastern Mediterranean region

“…COVID-19 cases and deaths are likely to be higher in countries with high income inequality, because these countries might have better records of incidence and mortality than countries with low income inequality 74. For example, high-income countries in the GCC and a number of other countries in the region have better healthcare systems in terms of contact tracing and testing 85 86. And, some of these countries (eg, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran) have higher income inequalities in the region.…”