Version 1
: Received: 31 March 2020 / Approved: 2 April 2020 / Online: 2 April 2020 (12:08:33 CEST)
How to cite:
Algaissi, A.; Alharbi, N.; Hassanain, M.; Hashem, A. Preparedness and Response to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Lessons Learned from MERS-CoV . Preprints2020, 2020040018. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202004.0018.v1.
Algaissi, A.; Alharbi, N.; Hassanain, M.; Hashem, A. Preparedness and Response to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Lessons Learned from MERS-CoV . Preprints 2020, 2020040018. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202004.0018.v1.
Cite as:
Algaissi, A.; Alharbi, N.; Hassanain, M.; Hashem, A. Preparedness and Response to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Lessons Learned from MERS-CoV . Preprints2020, 2020040018. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202004.0018.v1.
Algaissi, A.; Alharbi, N.; Hassanain, M.; Hashem, A. Preparedness and Response to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Lessons Learned from MERS-CoV . Preprints 2020, 2020040018. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202004.0018.v1.
Abstract
Nearly three months have passed since the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which caused the rapidly spreading Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To date, there have been more than 550,000 confirmed cases and more than 25,000 deaths globally caused by COVID-19. Chinese health authorities, where the virus emerged, have taken prompt strict public health measures to control and prevent the spread of the outbreak. In the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, unprecedented precautionary strict measures were applied to slow virus entry and to mitigate the risk of the outbreak. Here, we review the experience learned during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) epidemic in Saudi Arabia, which has been in the country since 2012, and is expected to have helped the country to be well prepared for the current COVID-19 pandemic. We also discuss the country readiness, improvement in research and development, and the unprecedented rapid precautionary measures that have been taken by the Saudi government thus far.
Keywords
COVID-19 response; MERS-CoV; Saudi Arabia; travel restrictions; Pandemic preparedness
Subject
LIFE SCIENCES, Virology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
