The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak started in December 2019 and rapidly spread around the globe as a major health threat. Several reports on re-positive cases subsequent to discharge from hospitals caught our attention. We aimed to highlight RT-qPCR positivity re-detection after discharge from isolation, with special consideration of the possible reasons behind it. We found that re-positive RT-qPCR assays for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 after previous negative results might be attributed to false-negative laboratory results and prolonged viral shedding, rather than to re-infection. These findings are encouraging and should be validated in a larger cohort.

The Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) established a National School-Based Screening Program (NSBSP) for health screening of schoolchildren. Students from specific grades were systematically screened for several health problems, including obesity, visual and auditory problems, dental cavities, scoliosis, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of these health problems among primary school students based on secondary data obtained from the NSBSP. We included 444,259 screened school children from the first and fourth grades of 50% of the selected schools (both private and public) across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the academic year 2018–2019. Among them, the most prevalent health problems identified were dental cavities (38.7%), eye refractory errors (10.9%), and overweight and obesity (10.5%); the less prevalent problems included ADHD (2.81%), auditory problems (0.6%), and scoliosis (0.48%). A greater prevalence of most health problems was observed in girls more than boys. The NSBSP successfully aided the detection of health conditions with high and low prevalence among primary school students in the KSA, and thus, the identification of health problems of specific concern. Implementation of effective school health services for the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of these health problems are imperative.

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Background: This study aimed to explore the psychosocial factors affecting the utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services. Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study carried-out in the 4 main MOH maternity hospitals in Jeddah. The study sample included 2 groups: 80 women with inadequate ANC attendance and 159 with adequate ANC attendance. We applied probability proportional to size sampling technique. The outcome of this study was ANC attendance (adequate or inadequate). Independent variables included: age, nationality, educational level, occupation, monthly income, the dependent variables included: the number of ANC visits. Results: The utilization findings of this study revealed that 88 women out of 239 women had not fully used the health services provided to them (underutilization) and the utilization rate was 66.5%. Approximately one-half of the women with inadequate ANC had birth intervals of less than 2 years. Three-quarters of them reported that they did not plan their current pregnancies, and nearly two-thirds of them had high levels of stress. Logistic regression analysis indicated that inadequate ANC attendance was predicted by past negative experiences related to ANC attendance (p=0.001) (OR=0.183 CI=0.065-0.513). Conclusions:The most significant identified barriers to utilization of ANC services were high stress, previous negative ANC experience, unplanned pregnancy, and short birth intervals. Furthermore, women who had adequate ANC visits were more likely to have planned pregnancies and be aware of available ANC services.

There have been multiple reports of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) after discharge; however, information on the characteristics of such cases is limited. In this case report, we aimed to identify clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients who had a repeat positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2. We analyzed data of 22 COVID-19 patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing after two consecutive negative PCR results following discharge from hospitals. The interval between the two positive tests in the episodes of COVID-19 ranged from 4 to 117 days. More than one-third of the cases were healthcare workers (HCWs) and one-third of them had comorbidities. The main symptoms were cough and fever, and we noticed that males experienced more symptoms and signs of COVID-19 than females. Individuals with repeat SARS-CoV-2 positivity tend to experience milder illness during the second episode than the first episode. To confirm the reinfection of SARS-CoV-2, the results of other tests, such as viral culture and immunological assays of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM), need to be considered. Recovered COVID-19 patients should continue social distancing, using face masks, and practicing hand hygiene, especially HCWs who are more likely to be exposed to SARS-CoV-2.