Types of Variants Among Increased Cases of COVID-19 in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia in June 2021

Alahmad, Abdulmohsen M; Kamel, Shady A; Alsulimani, Suhaib T; Alharbi, Mohammad; Alyazidi, Fawaz R; Allhaybi, Yasser A

doi:10.7759/cureus.26016

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

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“…According to a study conducted in Saudi Arabia, the alpha (B.1.1.7), beta (B.1.351), and delta (B.1.617.2) variations have been detected, and the community should take the utmost precautions to prevent infection. [ 33 ] Prior research was done to assess COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAP) at the time of the pandemic. [ 34 , 35 ] Therefore, the goal of our study was to evaluate knowledge retention and adherence to preventative measures, which are crucial for preventing and managing the novel coronavirus types.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude, and adherence to coronavirus preventive measures among residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Al Rajeh,

Naser

2023

Medicine

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Since the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been spreading globally, variants have emerged and been identified in many countries around the world. This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to explore the level of knowledge, attitude, and adherence to coronavirus variant preventive measures among residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is a cross-sectional online survey that was conducted between April and November 2020 and involved the residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An electronic invitation for participation was sent to prospective participants, including the link to the research instrument, using social media websites. A total of 780 participants responded to a 4-part online survey developed by the investigators. The findings revealed that 72.9% of the participants (95% CI: 69.6%–75.9%) had a high level of knowledge about COVID-19; 78.2% said they supported all precautionary measures put in place by health authorities; only 29% wore face masks; and 93% wash their hands at least 5 times a day. Furthermore, 69% of the residents were always covering their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing with a piece of tissue paper, while 71% were observing physical distancing. Participants showed a positive attitude towards supporting all the precautionary measures being put in place by the health authorities and the efforts made by healthcare workers in the kingdom. Residents in Saudi Arabia showed a high level of knowledge of COVID-19 variants. Higher levels of education, being employed, and higher income were factors that influenced participants’ knowledge positively (P < .05). Females and younger age were predictors of a better attitude towards COVID-19 (P < .01).The majority of the residents were afraid of the spread and mutation of the coronavirus. This study highlights the value of continuing community service learning programs for raising knowledge retention and adherence to coronavirus variant prevention strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude, and adherence to coronavirus preventive measures among residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Al Rajeh,

Naser

2023

Medicine

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Metagenomic next-generation sequencing of nasopharyngeal microbiota in COVID-19 patients with different disease severities

Aljabr,

Dandachi,

Abbas

et al. 2024

Microbiol Spectr

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive research has been conducted on SARS-COV-2 to elucidate its genome, prognosis, and possible treatments. However, few looked at the microbial markers that could be explored in infected patients and that could predict possible disease severity. The aim of this study is to compare the nasopharyngeal microbiota of healthy subjects, moderate, under medication, and recovered SARS-COV-2 patients. In 2020, 38 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 6 healthy subjects, 14 moderates, 10 under medication and 8 recovered SARS-COV-2 patients at King Fahad Medical city. Metatranscriptomic sequencing was performed using Minion Oxford nanopore sequencing. No significant difference in alpha as well as beta diversity was observed among all four categories. Nevertheless, we have found that Streptococcus spp including Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus thermophilus were among the top 15 most abundant species detected in COVID-19 patients but not in healthy subjects. The genus Staphylococcus was found to be associated with COVID-19 patients compared to healthy subjects. Furthermore, the abundance of Leptotrichia was significantly higher in healthy subjects compared to recovered patients. Corynebacterium on the other hand, was associated with under-medication patients. Taken together, our study revealed no differences in the overall microbial composition between healthy subjects and COVID-19 patients. Significant differences were seen only at specific taxonomic level. Future studies should explore the nasopharyngeal microbiota between controls and COVID-19 patients while controlling for confounders including age, gender, and comorbidities; since these latter could affect the results and accordingly the interpretation. IMPORTANCE In this work, no significant difference in the microbial diversity was seen between healthy subjects and COVID-19 patients. Changes in specific taxa including Leptotrichia , Staphylococcus, and Corynebacterium were only observed. Leptotrichia was significantly higher in healthy subjects, whereas Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium were mostly associated with COVID-19, and specifically with under-medication SARS-COV-2 patients, respectively. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, the SARS-COV-2 virus is continuously evolving and the emergence of new variants causing more severe disease should be always kept in mind. Microbial markers in SARS-COV-2 infected patients can be useful in the early suspicion of the disease, predicting clinical outcomes, framing hospital and intensive care unit admission as well as, risk stratification. Data on which microbial marker to tackle is still controversial and more work is needed, hence the importance of this study.

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Types of Variants Among Increased Cases of COVID-19 in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia in June 2021

Cited by 2 publications

References 11 publications

Knowledge, attitude, and adherence to coronavirus preventive measures among residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Knowledge, attitude, and adherence to coronavirus preventive measures among residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing of nasopharyngeal microbiota in COVID-19 patients with different disease severities

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