This study aims to investigate public response attitude, anxiety, practices and trust in the authorities’ mitigation plan during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. A national cross sectional phone survey was conducted among Saudi residents aged 16 years and above. A total of 90,421 (45.2%) individuals participated in the study. Of those, the overall rate of COVID-19 correct knowledge was 82% (mean: 9.84); social media was the most reported source of knowledge. Younger age, low levels of education and foreign residents were associated with poor knowledge. Overall, 49.5% scored 5 or more on the GAD-7 test, indicating anxiety symptoms, 19.2% of them scored 10 and above, suggesting moderate to severe anxiety. Majority of participants (>78%) trusted and supported the interventions implemented by the government to control COVID-19. Social distancing practices among participants was as following, 72.5% stayed at home and avoid going out for nonessential business and 49.5% avoided attending social events and family gatherings. Trust in authorities, being anxious, worry and levels of knowledge about the disease, were the most common factors affecting adoption of the recommended practices. Continuous evaluation of public response about COVID-19, and the effectiveness of protective measures is essential to better inform policy-makers and identify ways of encouraging behaviour change among public during pandemic.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Social media has played a key role in mediating the communication of information during the COVID-19 pandemic. The way information is shared through social media shapes people’s risk perceptions, which in turn affects their mental health and behaviors. This study aimed to assess social media’s impact on the public’s risk perceptions, mental health, and preventive behaviors during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A Web-based survey was developed to assess social media exposure, risk perceptions, mental health, and COVID-19-related preventive behaviors among adults in Saudi Arabia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between social media exposure and key measurements. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 1,500 individuals participated in the study; of those, 93.2% of participants reported using social media for COVID-19-related information. Twitter (68.3%) followed by Snapchat (25.1%) were the most used platforms. About 44.4% of participants were highly exposed to social media. High social media exposure was significantly associated with higher risks of anxiety (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.19–2.05) and depression (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.01–2.81) and higher levels of COVID-19 risk perception (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.08–1.89). However, social media has no significant impact on the adoption of preventive behaviors. <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> Our results were consistent with the other international studies that were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The anticipated future increase in social media use urges the need for longitudinal studies to investigate the psychological and behavioral effects of social media during emerging pandemics.

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Purpose: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) added pregabalin to the list of controlled substances in December 2017 to minimize the risk of its possible abuse and misuse. This study was aimed at assessing the impact of this decision on the overall use of pregabalin in Saudi Arabia and in comparison with drugs prescribed to treat neuropathic pain (i.e., vs. gabapentin, tramadol, duloxetine, and amitriptyline).Methods: This was an interrupted time-series analysis of the Saudi quarterly sale data of the study drugs from October/2015 to September/2020. These data were obtained from IQVIA and were converted into use estimates (defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitant-days [DDD/TID]). Segmented regression models were conducted to assess the direct (level) and prolonged (trend) changes in use data after the decision.All analyses were completed using RStudio Version 1.4.1103.Results: Before the SFDA's decision, there was an increased quarter-to-quarter use of pregabalin (DDD/TID: 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04 to 0.28). Pregabalin overall use dropped sharply by À1.85 DDD/TID (95% CI À2.71 to À0.99) directly after the decision with a prolonged quarter-to-quarter declining effect (DDD/TID: À0.22, CI to À0.37 to À0.05). The decision was associated with a direct increase in the use of gabapentin by 0.62 DDD/TID (95% CI 0.52-0.72) without any impact on the use of other drugs. Conclusions:The results of our study showed that the SFDA decision was associated with a decrease in the overall use of pregabalin, which may help minimize the risk of its abuse and misuse.