Background: The newly emerged and highly infectious coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which first broke out in Wuhan, China, has invaded most countries around the globe. As both the daily positive cases and death toll increase, countries have taken aggressive action to halt its spread. Saudi Arabia recognized the danger early and implemented a series of urgent precautions. Thus, this study aims to evaluate public trust and compliance with the precautionary measures implemented by authorities to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of the Saudi public using an electronic questionnaire during the COVID-19 outbreak. The data, which were collected using a validated public trust and compliance tool, were analyzed using the chi-square test, t test, and binary logistic regression. Findings: Of the 1232 participants, there were 655 (53.2%) males and 577 (46.8%) females with 34 ± 10 years as the mean and standard deviation of their age. Participants demonstrated a high level of trust and agreement (98.2%) with the implemented precautionary measures. A positive association between participants' age and their level of agreement with the government actions (r=˗.082, P=0.004) was observed, with a significant difference between males (97.1±6.2) and females (98.0±4.7) (t=˗2.7, P=0.006). Among the participants, 657 (53.3%) were considered to be practicing poor precautionary measures and 575 (46.7%) good precautionary measures. Males (OR=1.8 times, P<0.001) and those with a school education level (OR=1.7 times, P=0.002) were more likely to have poor precautionary practices compared to others. Married individuals (369, 49.0%; P=0.04) were more likely to comply with good practices. Conclusion: A high level of trust was exhibited by the Saudi public in relation to the precautionary measures taken by authorities in Saudi Arabia. Gender, age, marital status, and educational level were found to be significant factors with regard to compliance with precautionary practices.
Background:The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. This pandemic is much more than a health crisis; it has also raised many ethical challenges. The large number of infected patients amid scarce resources has placed healthcare professionals in a critical situation in which they have to make difficult decisions about how to prioritize their patients. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the ethical challenges experienced and perceived by healthcare professionals working in healthcare institutions and research centers in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted individually with frontline healthcare providers (physicians and nurses), researchers, and decision-makers involved in the management of COVID-19 cases. Each interview lasted up to 90 minutes. The thematic analysis technique was used to analyse the interview data. Findings: The participants' rich experiences, which revealed a number of ethical challenges concerning the provision of medical care to infected patients, were framed around four main themes: treatment challenges related to COVID-19 patients, uncertainty of the medical outcome, medical care discrimination, and decision to discontinue medical treatment. Conclusion:The COVID-19 pandemic has posed huge ethical challenges for healthcare professionals that might lead to psychological issues given the emotional toll related to making life-and-death decisions. Recommendation: In a situation where no reliable and certain treatment is known or well tested, establishing centralized and responsive ethical committees could help reassure and guide practitioners and address their concerns.
Introduction: In response to the disease, multiple companies created coronavirus disease 2019 vaccinations. These vaccines were developed utilizing a variety of technologies and at an unprecedented rate, leading many people to question their efficacy and safety, as well as what they thought about how well the vaccination may protect them. As a result, the goal of this study was to evaluate the factors and motivators that may affect the Saudi Arabian population's decision to get COVID-19 vaccination.Methods: A sample of Saudi citizens from the Central Region completed an electronic questionnaire. This questionnaire assessed a variety of factors, including why people choose to get or not have the COVID-19 vaccination.Results: In total, 526 Saudis responded to the survey, with the average age being 35±11 years. Of the participants, 408 (77.6%) had received COVID-19 vaccination (one or two doses), and 118 (22.4%) had not been vaccinated. Females (n=233, 73%, P=0.002) and the group less than 35 years (n=223, 54.7%, P=0.017) were more likely than the males to get vaccinated. Married (n=256, 80.5%) and employed (n=261, 81.1%) participants had higher vaccination rates than unmarried and unemployed. Major reasons for not being vaccinated were a lack of knowledge about the adverse effects (n=74, 62.7%), concerns about possible side effects (n=70, 59.3%), and a lack of faith in the vaccination (n=45, 38.1%). Receiving flu vaccination was significantly associated with being vaccinated against COVID-19 (P=0.020). Conclusion:Lack of knowledge about the vaccine's side effects and uncertainty were the major deterrents to vaccination, whereas faith in the Ministry of Health's instructions was the key motivator.
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