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Ten public health strategies to control the Covid-19 pandemic: the Saudi Experience

ABSTRACT: Saudi Arabia plays an important strategic role within the Middle East and afar because of its geographical location, and being the host of one of the largest annual religious mass gatherings in the world “The Hajj”. During the recent coronavirus pandemic, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) developed a multisectoral plan that adopted multiple measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 transmission both domestically and internationally. In this article, we review all public health related policy decisions from the Saudi Ministry of Health, other government departments, and the private sector that contributed to limiting the severe consequences from Covid-19. Ten effective strategies are outlined and the challenges related to their implementation are explored. The strategies include: 1. Quarantine and travel restriction, 2. Expansion of serological screening, 3. Mask wearing (covering the face and nose) and social distancing, 4. Preparation of hospitals to deal with the influx of coronavirus cases, 5. Use of artificial intelligence, 6.Public assurance, 7.Removal of slum areas and re housing of its inhabitants, 8. Cancellation of the Hajj season, 9. Economic stimulus packages to safeguard the economy, and 10. fair and priority driven vaccine distribution. Conclusion: The government of Saudi Arabia demonstrated responsibility at the highest level to prioritize the safety and well-being of its citizens and residents. Rapid early response to the pandemic warnings, extensive experience in previous epidemics and in mass gathering medicine, wise management of healthcare resources, and unprecedented harmonization of governmental and private sectors were significant factors for this success.

SUBMITTER: AlFattani A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8447545 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundUnprecedented public health measures have been used during this coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is a challenge to implement timely and appropriate public health interventions.Methods and findingsPopulation and COVID-19 epidemiological data between 21st January 2020 to 15th November 2020 from 216 countries and territories were included with the implemented public health interventions. We used deep reinforcement learning, and the algorithm was trained to enable agents to try to find optimal public health strategies that maximized total reward on controlling the spread of COVID-19. The results suggested by the algorithm were analyzed against the actual timing and intensity of lockdown and travel restrictions. Early implementations of the actual lockdown and travel restriction policies, usually at the time of local index case were associated with less burden of COVID-19. In contrast, our agent suggested to initiate at least minimal intensity of lockdown or travel restriction even before or on the day of the index case in each country and territory. In addition, the agent mostly recommended a combination of lockdown and travel restrictions and higher intensity policies than the policies implemented by governments, but did not always encourage rapid full lockdown and full border closures. The limitation of this study was that it was done with incomplete data due to the emerging COVID-19 epidemic, inconsistent testing and reporting. In addition, our research focuses only on population health benefits by controlling the spread of COVID-19 without balancing the negative impacts of economic and social consequences.InterpretationCompared to actual government implementation, our algorithm mostly recommended earlier intensity of lockdown and travel restrictions. Reinforcement learning may be used as a decision support tool for implementation of public health interventions during COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Project description:BackgroundDuring a public health crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, governments and health authorities need quick and accurate methods of communicating with the public. While social media can serve as a useful tool for effective communication during disease outbreaks, few studies have elucidated how these platforms are used by the Ministry of Health (MOH) during disease outbreaks in Saudi Arabia.ObjectiveGuided by the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication model, this study aimed to explore the MOH's use of Twitter and the public's engagement during different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia.MethodsTweets and corresponding likes and retweets were extracted from the official Twitter account of the MOH in Saudi Arabia for the period of January 1 through August 31, 2020. Tweets related to COVID-19 were identified; subsequently, content analysis was performed, in which tweets were coded for the following message types: risk messages, warnings, preparations, uncertainty reduction, efficacy, reassurance, and digital health responses. Public engagement was measured by examining the numbers of likes and retweets. The association between outbreak stages and types of messages was assessed, as well as the effect of these messages on public engagement.ResultsThe MOH posted a total of 1393 original tweets during the study period. Of the total tweets, 1293 (92.82%) were related to COVID-19, and 1217 were ultimately included in the analysis. The MOH posted the majority of its tweets (65.89%) during the initial stage of the outbreak. Accordingly, the public showed the highest level of engagement (as indicated by numbers of likes and retweets) during the initial stage. The types of messages sent by the MOH significantly differed across outbreak stages, with messages related to uncertainty reduction, reassurance, and efficacy being prevalent among all stages. Tweet content, media type, and crisis stage influenced the level of public engagement. Engagement was negatively associated with the inclusion of hyperlinks and multimedia files, while higher level of public engagement was associated with the use of hashtags. Tweets related to warnings, uncertainty reduction, and reassurance received high levels of public engagement.ConclusionsThis study provides insights into the Saudi MOH's communication strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results have implications for researchers, governments, health organizations, and practitioners with regard to their communication practices during outbreaks. To increase public engagement, governments and health authorities should consider the public's need for information. This, in turn, could raise public awareness regarding disease outbreaks.

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Ten public health strategies to control the Covid-19 pandemic: the Saudi Experience

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