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Controlling COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mass Screening Experience in Saudi Arabia
Yazar:: Anas A. Khan, Anas A. Khan, Hadil M. Alahdal, Reem M. Alotaibi, Hana S. Sonbol, Rana H. Almaghrabi, Yousef M. Alsofayan, Saqer M. Althunayyan, Faisal A. Alsaif, Sami S. Almudarra, Khaled I. Alabdulkareem, Abdullah M. Assiri, Hani A. Jokhdar
Materyal Türü: | Article |
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Baskı/Yayın Bilgisi: | Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-01-01 |
Diğer Bilgiler
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.