A Review of COVID-19 Mass Testing in the United Arab Emirates

Al-Hosani, Farida; Al-Mazrouei, Shereena; Al-Memari, Shammah; Al-Yafei, Zain; Paulo, Marília Silva; Koornneef, Erik

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.661134

Cited by 22 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…All SEHA facilities follow the National Guidelines for Clinical Management and Treatment of COVID-19 unified by all health regulatory bodies issued by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention [ 6 , 7 ]. The UAE has the highest testing rate globally for COVID-19 relative to the population which facilitated the widespread screening for SARS-CoV-2 [ 5 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients hospitalised with COVID-19: clinical outcomes in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

et al. 2022

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Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) was first reported in December 2019. The severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ranges from asymptomatic to severe and potentially fatal. We aimed to describe the clinical and laboratory features and outcomes of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 within the Abu Dhabi Healthcare Services Facilities (SEHA). Methods Our retrospective analysis of patient data collected from electronic health records (EHRs) available from the SEHA health information system included all patients admitted from 1 March to 31 May 2020 with a laboratory-confirmed PCR diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data of clinical features, co-morbidities, laboratory markers, length of hospital stay, treatment received and mortality were analysed according to severe versus non-severe disease. Results The study included 9390 patients. Patients were divided into severe and non-severe groups. Seven hundred twenty-one (7.68%) patients required intensive care, whereas the remaining patients (92.32%) had mild or moderate disease. The mean patient age of our cohort (41.8 years) was lower than the global average. Our population had male predominance, and it included various nationalities. The major co-morbidities were hypertension, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. Laboratory tests revealed significant differences in lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and creatinine levels and the neutrophil count between the severe and non-severe groups. The most common anti-viral therapy was the combination of Hydroxychloroquine and Favipiravir. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 1.63%, although the rate was 19.56% in the severe group. The mortality rate was higher in adults younger than 30 years than in those older than 60 years (2.3% vs. 0.95%). Conclusions Our analysis suggested that Abu Dhabi had lower COVID-19 morbidity and mortalities rates were less than the reported rates then in China, Italy and the US. The affected population was relatively young, and it had an international representation. Globally, Abu Dhabi had one of the highest testing rates in relation to the population volume. We believe the early identification of patients and their younger age resulted in more favourable outcomes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients hospitalised with COVID-19: clinical outcomes in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

et al. 2022

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“…This was seen from the early stages and in all aspects, such as healthcare capacity and non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions accessibility. For example, COVID-19 testing and adult COVID-19 vaccination were accepted well by the UAE population, and this was reflected in the high acceptance rates reported, compared to other countries in the world [4] , [5] , [13] [14)], as well as a comparatively lower mortality rate [15] , [16] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents’ views on the acceptability of a COVID-19 vaccine for their children: A cross-sectional study in Abu Dhabi-United Arab Emirates

AlKetbi

Hosani

Memari

et al. 2022

Vaccine

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“…The UAE’s efforts to contain the pandemic and spread awareness were especially impressive, placing it at the top of the list of countries with effective mass-testing and spread awareness was especially remarkable, with effective mass-testing and vaccine coverage. 70 Globally, governments and corporations have used various means to try and stem the tide of misinformation. Recently, YouTube and Twitter tried to introduce terms and policies regarding content deemed to be COVID-19 and vaccination misinformation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of the COVID-19 “Infodemic” on Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study

Elbarazi¹,

Saddik²,

Grivna³

et al. 2022

JMDH

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Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis in the world of information and digital literacy. The amount of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 that has circulated through social media (SM) since January 2020 is notably significant and has been linked to rising levels of anxiety and fear amongst SM users. Aim This study aimed to assess SM practices during COVID-19 and investigated their impact on users’ well-being. Methods An online survey was distributed between June 10 and July 31 2020 via different SM platforms in the United Arab Emirates and other Arabic-speaking countries. Adults above 18 years of age who spoke Arabic or English were invited to complete the survey which covered multiple domains, use and practices related to social media platforms and mental health questions, including the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Results Out of 993 participants, 73% were females, 76% were non-Emirati, 91% were university graduates, and 50% were employed in various occupations, of which 20% were health care professionals. Participants indicated that they acquired COVID-19 related information primarily from social media and messaging applications of which WhatsApp was the most used. Most participants reported sharing information after verification. The mean well-being score was 12.6 ±5.6, with 49% of participants reporting poor well-being (WHO-5 score <12.5). Adjusted linear regression showed that Facebook usage was negatively associated with well-being scores. Additionally, high time use was associated with poorer well-being. When adjusting for other factors, including low confidence in information around COVID-19 and poor knowledge overall, SM usage was significantly associated with poorer well-being. Conclusion The study sheds light on the use of SM during the pandemic and its impact on well-being throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic. Social media practices during emergencies and disasters may impact public well-being. Authorities are advised to step in to minimize the spread of misinformation and more frequent use of social media as it may influence well-being. Public health specialists, information technology and communication experts should collaborate to limit the infodemic effect on communities.

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A Review of COVID-19 Mass Testing in the United Arab Emirates

Cited by 22 publications

References 16 publications

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients hospitalised with COVID-19: clinical outcomes in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients hospitalised with COVID-19: clinical outcomes in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Parents’ views on the acceptability of a COVID-19 vaccine for their children: A cross-sectional study in Abu Dhabi-United Arab Emirates

The Impact of the COVID-19 “Infodemic” on Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study

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