Controlling COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mass Screening Experience in Saudi Arabia

Frontiers in Public Health

Khaled I. Alabdulkareem¹  Saqer M. Althunayyan²  Hadil M. Alahdal³  Hana S. Sonbol³  Anas A. Khan⁴  Rana H. Almaghrabi⁵  Faisal A. Alsaif⁶  Hani A. Jokhdar⁷  Reem M. Alotaibi⁸  Sami S. Almudarra⁹  Yousef M. Alsofayan^1,10  Abdullah M. Assiri^1,11 

[1] Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Department of Accident and Trauma, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Global Center for Mass Gatherings Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Department of Pediatrics, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Deputyship of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia;Field Epidemiology Training Program, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Global Center for Mass Gatherings Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;

关键词: COVID-19;    screening;    mass testing;    pandemic;    Saudi Arabia;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2020.606385

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

A highly accelerating number of people around the world have been infected with novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Mass screening programs were suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an effective precautionary measure to contain the spread of the virus. On 16 April 2020, a COVID-19 mass screening program was initiated in Saudi Arabia in multiple phases. This study aims to analyze the number of detected COVID-19 cases, their demographic data, and regions most affected in the initial two phases of these mass screening programs. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among the high-risk population as part of the COVID-19 mass screening program across all regions in Saudi Arabia during April and May 2020. A Chi-square-test was used to determine the associations between positive cases and various demographic variables. Out of 71,854 screened individuals, 13.50% (n = 9701) were COVID-19 positive, of which 83.27% (n = 59,835) were males. Among positive cases, in the 30–39 years age group, 6.36% were in the active phase, and 2.19% were in the community phase. Based on our experience, launching mass screening programs is crucial for early case detection, isolation, and pattern recognition for immediate public interventions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY