Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is an international public health threat. This study aimed to evaluate COVID-19-related knowledge, preventive behaviors, and risk perception among Saudi Arabian medical students and interns. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among fourth- and fifth-year medical students and interns between June and August 2020 at three colleges of medicine in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. A previously validated questionnaire was distributed as an online survey. Results: The total mean knowledge score was 12.5/15 points; 83.9% achieved a high score. The mean score of self-reported preventive behavior was 8.40; 94.1% achieved a high score. The overall mean risk perception score was 5.34/8 points; 31.6% achieved a high score. Conclusion: Medical students assessed in this study displayed sufficient knowledge and preventive behaviors regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and an average level of risk perception. Lower scores by younger medical students suggest that they must improve their COVID-19 knowledge and risk perception, as they are a potential source of health information in their communities.

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Background After 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). Methods An 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. Results A 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. Conclusions Long-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.

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Background: Brucellosis, a zoonotic infection having an important public health issue in endemic countries; Saudi Arabia is one of these countries. The incidence of brucellosis in AlQassim region is much higher than the national one. Evaluation of the epidemiological situation of brucellosis is the first step in prevention and control. The objective was to describe the epidemiological characteristics of brucellosis in Al-Qassim region during the period between 2010 and 2014. Methods: All epidemiological surveillance forms from 2010 to 2014 were analyzed for epidemiological characteristics. Results: There were 4283 notified cases of human brucellosis in AL-Qassim region between 2010 and 2014, the annual incidence decreased from 84.5 to 48.7 per 100,000 populations. The highest number of cases was reported from Uyoon Al-Jawa followed by Buraidah. The number of cases was highest from March to June. and lowest was in November; the male to female ratio was 3:1. Saudis represents 51.1% of cases. The mean age of the cases was 34±15 years; the most common age group was middle age. Shepherds and farmers represent 46.5% of cases. The most common presenting symptoms were fever (79.7%), joint pain (72.7%), and muscle pain (70.9%). The most common antibiotics used as treatment were doxycycline (80.9%) and streptomycin (63.2%). A history of animal contact was the most common risk factor (80.7%), followed by consumption of raw milk (55.6%). Conclusions:There was a marked decrease in the incidence of brucellosis from 2010 to 2014 in the Al-Qassim region. However, continued efforts are needed to eliminate the disease.