Influence of environmental factors on the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.
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ABSTRACT: Background
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected millions of people worldwide. The infection is mostly spread through the inhalation of infected droplets. Saudi Arabia is a vast country having different climatic conditions.Methods
The study evaluated the influence of environmental factors on the spread of COVID-19. Six zones (A to F) were classified depending on the climatic conditions. The study was conducted by retrospective analysis of COVID-19 records from the ministry of health between the months of September 2020 and August 2021. The environmental data such as average temperature (°C), humidity (%), wind speed (m/s) and sun exposure (kwh/m2) were retrieved from official sites. The data was analyzed to determine the effect of these factors on the spread of COVID-19. SPSS IBM 25 software was used to conduct the analysis and p < 0.05 was considered to indicate the significance of the results.Results
According to the findings, the rate of infection was greater between April and July 2021. Six climatic zones experienced high temperatures, little humidity, consistent wind flow, and intense sun exposure throughout this time. The correlation study revealed a significant (p < 0.05) relationship between the environmental factors and the spread of COVID-19. The data suggested that during summer condition when the weather is hot, less humid, and steady wind flow with lots of sun exposure, the COVID-19 infection rate got augmented in Saudi Arabia. Poor ventilation and closed-door habitats in an air-conditioned atmosphere during this period could have played a role in human transmission. More research on air quality, population mobility and diseased condition is essential, so that precise proactive measures can be designed to limit the spread of infection in specific climatic seasons.
SUBMITTER: Asdaq SMB
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8743009 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) quickly controlled the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by implementing several non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including suspension of international and national travel, local curfews, closing public spaces (i.e., schools and universities, malls and shops), and limiting religious gatherings. The KSA also mandated all citizens to respect physical distancing and to wear face masks. However, after relaxing some restrictions during June 2020, the KSA is now planning a strategy that could allow resuming in-person education and international travel. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of NPIs on the spread of the COVID-19 and test strategies to open schools and resume international travel.MethodsWe built a spatial-explicit individual-based model to represent the whole KSA population (IBM-KSA). The IBM-KSA was parameterized using country demographic, remote sensing, and epidemiological data. A social network was created to represent contact heterogeneity and interaction among age groups of the population. The IBM-KSA also simulated the movement of people across the country based on a gravity model. We used the IBM-KSA to evaluate the effect of different NPIs adopted by the KSA (physical distancing, mask-wearing, and contact tracing) and to forecast the impact of strategies to open schools and resume international travels.ResultsThe IBM-KSA results scenarios showed the high effectiveness of mask-wearing, physical distancing, and contact tracing in controlling the spread of the disease. Without NPIs, the KSA could have reported 4,824,065 (95% CI: 3,673,775-6,335,423) cases by June 2021. The IBM-KSA showed that mandatory mask-wearing and physical distancing saved 39,452 lives (95% CI: 26,641-44,494). In-person education without personal protection during teaching would have resulted in a high surge of COVID-19 cases. Compared to scenarios with no personal protection, enforcing mask-wearing and physical distancing in schools reduced cases, hospitalizations, and deaths by 25% and 50%, when adherence to these NPIs was set to 50% and 70%, respectively. The IBM-KSA also showed that a quarantine imposed on international travelers reduced the probability of outbreaks in the country.ConclusionsThis study showed that the interventions adopted by the KSA were able to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the absence of a vaccine. In-person education should be resumed only if NPIs could be applied in schools and universities. International travel can be resumed but with strict quarantine rules. The KSA needs to keep strict NPIs in place until a high fraction of the population is vaccinated in order to reduce hospitalizations and deaths.
| S-EPMC8818364 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Countries around the world have implemented a series of interventions to contain the pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and significant lessons can be drawn from the study of the full transmission dynamics of the disease caused by-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-in the Eastern, Madinah, Makkah, and Riyadh regions of Saudi Arabia, where robust non-pharmaceutical interventions effectively suppressed the local outbreak of this disease. On the basis of 333732 laboratory-confirmed cases, we used mathematical modelling to reconstruct the complete spectrum dynamics of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia between 2 March and 25 September 2020 over 5 periods characterised by events and interventions. Our model account for asymptomatic and presymptomatic infectiousness, time-varying ascertainable infection rate, and transmission rates. Our results indicate that non-pharmaceutical interventions were effective in containing the epidemic, with reproduction numbers decreasing on average to 0.29 (0.19-0.66) in the Eastern, Madinah, Makkah, and Riyadh region. The chance of resurgence after the lifting of all interventions after 30 consecutive days with no symptomatic cases is also examined and emphasizes the danger presented by largely hidden infections while switching control strategies. These findings have major significance for evaluating methods for maintaining monitoring and interventions to eventually reduce outbreaks of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia in the future.
| S-EPMC9842221 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesThis paper aims to measure the impact of the implemented nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the pandemic using simulation modeling.MethodsTo measure the impact of NPI, a hybrid agent-based and system dynamics simulation model was built and validated. Data were collected prospectively on a weekly basis. The core epidemiological model is based on a complex Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered and Dead model of epidemic dynamics. Reverse engineering was performed on a weekly basis throughout the study period as a mean for model validation which reported on four outcomes: total cases, active cases, ICU cases, and deaths cases. To measure the impact of each NPI, the observed values of active and total cases were captured and compared to the projected values of active and total cases from the simulation. To measure the impact of each NPI, the study period was divided into rounds of incubation periods (cycles of 14 days each). The behavioral change of the spread of the disease was interpreted as the impact of NPIs that occurred at the beginning of the cycle. The behavioral change was measured by the change in the initial reproduction rate (R0).ResultsAfter 18 weeks of the reverse engineering process, the model achieved a 0.4 % difference in total cases for prediction at the end of the study period. The results estimated that NPIs led to 64 % change in The R0. Our breakdown analysis of the impact of each NPI indicates that banning going to schools had the greatest impact on the infection reproduction rate (24 %).ConclusionWe used hybrid simulation modeling to measure the impact of NPIs taken by the KSA government. The finding further supports the notion that early NPIs adoption can effectively limit the spread of COVID-19. It also supports using simulation for building mathematical modeling for epidemiological scenarios.
| S-EPMC10755097 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVES:To evaluate the association between various environmental factors and the anthropometric measurements of children and adolescents. METHODS:This retrospective studywasperformed from September 2017 to April 2018 and included 393 children aged 2-18 years. Data were extracted through patient and/or parentinterviews and from medical records of endocrine ambulatory clinics. RESULTS:Among underweight children,the proportion of mixed-fed children was the highest, and among normal weight children, most were either bottle-fed or mixed-fed. Most overweight children were mixed-fed, and most obese children were breastfed. Underweight status was noted most commonly in children playing videogames for <2 hours/day, followed by those playing>4 and 2-4 hours/day. Normal weight was noted most commonly in those playing for >4 hours/day, followed by those playing <2 and 2-4 hours/day. Overweight status was noted most commonly in those playing videogames for >4 hours/day, followed by those playing 2-4 and <2 hours/day. Most children playing videogames for <2 hours/day were obese. Mean BMIs were the highest in those who exercised 1-2 times/week. P-values for the association between passive smoking indoors and BMI, weight, and height were 0.045, 0.150, and 0.854, respectively. Regarding socioeconomic status, log BMI values were 1.22, 1.23, and 1.26 in low-, medium-, and high-income families, respectively (P-value, 0.001). CONCLUSION:Children who were bottle-fed in their first year of life, played video games >2 hours/day, did not exercise regularly, were exposed to indoor passive smoking, and had a high socioeconomic status had a higher BMI and weight than their counterparts. (www.actabiomedica.it).
| S-EPMC7569580 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:The first case of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia was confirmed on March 3, 2020. Saudi Arabia, like many other countries worldwide, implemented lockdown of most public and private services in response to the pandemic and established population movement restrictions nationwide. With the implementation of these strict mitigation regulations, technology and digital solutions have enabled the provision of essential services. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this paper is to highlight how Saudi Arabia has used digital technology during the COVID-19 pandemic in the domains of public health, health care services, education, telecommunication, commerce, and risk communication. METHODS:We documented the use of digital technology in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic using publicly available official announcements, press briefings and releases, news clips, published data, peer-reviewed literature, and professional discussions. RESULTS:Saudi Arabia's government and private sectors combined developed and launched approximately 19 apps and platforms that serve public health functions and provide health care services. A detailed account of each is provided. Education processes continued using an established electronic learning infrastructure with a promising direction toward wider adoption in the future. Telecommunication companies exhibited smooth collaboration as well as innovative initiatives to support ongoing efforts. Risk communication activities using social media, websites, and SMS text messaging followed best practice guides. CONCLUSIONS:The Saudi Vision 2030 framework, released in 2017, has paved the path for digital transformation. COVID-19 enabled the promotion and testing of this transition. In Saudi Arabia, the use of artificial intelligence in integrating different data sources during future outbreaks could be further explored. Also, decreasing the number of mobile apps and merging their functions could increase and facilitate their use.
| S-EPMC7473704 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: COVID-19 virus has been reported as a pandemic in March 2020 by the WHO. Having a balanced and healthy diet routine can help boost the immune system, which is essential in fighting viruses. Public Health officials enforced lockdown for residents resulting in dietary habits change to combat sudden changes. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the eating habits, quality and quantity of food intake among adults in Saudi Arabia. SPSS version 24 was used to analyze the data. Comparison between general dietary habits before and during COVID-19 for ordinal variables was performed by Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, while McNemar test was performed for nominal variables. The paired samples t-test was used to compare the total scores for food quality and quantity before and during COVID-19 periods. Results: 2706 adults residing in Riyadh completed the survey. The majority (85.6%) of the respondents reported eating homecooked meals on a daily basis during COVID-19 as compared to 35.6% before (p<0.001). The mean score for the quality of food intake was slightly higher (p=0.002) before the COVID-19 period (16.46±2.84) as compared to the during period (16.39±2.79). The quantity of food mean score was higher (p<0.001) during the COVID-19 period (15.70±2.66) as compared to the before period (14.62±2.71). Conclusion: Dietary habits have changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic among Riyadh residents. Although some good habits increased, the quality and the quantity of the food was compromised. Public Health officials must focus on increased awareness on healthy eating during pandemics to avoid negative consequences. Future research is recommended to better understand the change in dietary habits during pandemics using a detailed food frequency questionnaire. Significance for public health Since pandemics come unannounced affecting public’s safety, it is important to understand the changes that occur in a community. This study focuses on the dietary habits’ changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coronavirus has been a threatening matter on a global level. It is tremendously crucial to consider various aspects of human health during pandemics including dietary habits, food quality and quantity as such factors play an important role in improving the immune system and overall health. Increasing the community’s awareness on the importance of healthy food intake during COVID-19 pandemic is extremely necessary. Public health’s role is to understand people’s reactions during pandemics and establish guidelines to improve health and prevent diseases. Dietary habits change during COVID-19 is a major health threat that needs immediate Public Health Officials’ attention. Maximizing awareness about healthy eating habits during quarantine requires attention to improve the overall health of the population.
| S-EPMC7512943 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a combination of factors that increases the risk of cardiovascular atherosclerotic diseases including diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure. Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death in the adult Saudi population where the increase in cardiovascular-related mortality is augmented by the rise in the prevalence of MS. Metabolic syndrome is a multi-factorial disorder influenced by interactions between genetic and environmental components. This review aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of studied environmental and genetic factors explaining the prevalence of MS in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, this review aims to illustrate factors related to the population genetics of Saudi Arabia, which might explain a proportion of the prevalence of MS.
| S-EPMC4724673 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic damaged crude oil markets and amplified the consequences of uncertainty stemming from the Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war in March-April of 2020. We investigate the impacts of the oil price war on global crude oil markets. By doing so, we use the daily futures and spot prices in three major crude oil markets - West Texas Intermediate, European Brent, and Oman - to perform a systematic analysis of the impacts of the oil price war on them. The event study method, a well-established analytical tool to measure the impacts of a given event on markets, is used in this study. The results indicate that information leakage plays an important role in the impacts of the price war. The outbreak of and truce following the price war have asymmetrical impacts on the markets; negative impacts generated by information leakage during the outbreak are generally more durable than the positive ones it generated during the truce. Furthermore, the magnitude of the impacts on futures markets is negatively correlated with the time-to-maturity of futures. Finally, negative crude oil prices affect West Texas Intermediate crude oil markets the most. Our findings generally show that market participants could perceive and assimilate market changes and adjust their expectations, which restrained the impacts that should have occurred within the oil price war.
| S-EPMC8652835 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAfter recovery from acute infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), many patients experience long-term symptoms in different body systems. The aim of the present study was to identify these symptoms, their severity, and their duration as a first step in building a system to classify post-recovery long-term symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).MethodsAn online-based cross-sectional survey was administered between September and October 2020. Data regarding the severity of post-recovery symptoms and their duration were collected using an Arabic questionnaire divided into six categories encompassing the 20 most prevalent symptoms.ResultsA total of 979 patients recovered from COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia in the study period, of whom 53% were male and 47% were female. The most common symptoms included general fatigue and weakness (73% each), with moderate severity of neurological symptoms including mood changes (41%) and insomnia (39%). Among the special senses, loss of smell and taste of marked severity were reported by 64% and 55% among respiratory symptoms, cough of mild severity (47%), and dyspnea of moderate severity (43%). Loss of appetite of moderate severity was reported in 42%, and diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea of mild severity were reported by 53%, 50%, and 44% of respondents, respectively.ConclusionsLong-term symptoms after recovery from COVID-19 warrant patient follow-up. The authors propose a classification system as a starting point to guide the identification and follow-up of long-term symptoms post-recovery, and recommend larger-scale studies to broaden the definition of recovery from COVID-19, which appears to have two phases, acute and chronic.
| S-EPMC8654233 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimTo minimize the spread of COVID-19, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) enforced a nationwide lockdown. We aimed to explore whether the manner in which Saudi patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) manage their disease has changed during this unparalleled lockdown.MethodsAn online survey exploring the effect of lockdown on T1D outcomes was distributed among T1D patients residing in KSA during lockdown.ResultsA total of 1010 patients responded to the survey. Around 40% reported communicating with their physicians during lockdown. Age, level of education, residence, previous visits to diabetes education clinics, last HbA1c value, and average monthly income were all significantly associated with communication with the treating physician (p = 0.008, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.002, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Age, level of education, and average monthly income were significantly associated with experiencing severe hypoglycemia (p = 0.036, p = 0.03, and p < 0.001, respectively), while average monthly income and level of education were significantly associated with experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) (p < 0.001 and p = 0.0039, respectively); during lockdown. Patients who communicated with their physicians reported lower rates of severe hypoglycemia compared to those who did not (25.2% vs 30.7%, respectively).ConclusionAge and level of education were significantly associated with communication with the treating physician, and experiencing severe hypoglycemia and DKA; in patients with T1D during the lockdown period in Saudi Arabia. Keeping two-way virtual communication channels between physicians and their T1D patients should be encouraged.
| S-EPMC8282990 | biostudies-literature