Estimating the COVID-19 risk during the Hajj pilgrimage

Khan, Anas; Bieh, Kingsley; El-Ganainy, Ahmed; Ghallab, Sujoud; Assiri, Abdullah; Jokhdar, Hani

doi:10.1093/jtm/taaa157

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The assessment modeled the expected burden of COVID-19 using severable variables including attack rate, country Hajj quota, and WHO's global disease severity index. 13 , 14 The risk assessment identified and prioritized all potential hazards from previous Hajj records and current local and international events and outbreaks using an all-hazard approach. Vulnerability and capacity assessments were then conducted for prioritized hazards to identify the highest risks.…”

Section: Saudi Global Center For Mass Gatherings Medicinementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The risk assessment also showed that the current number of designated healthcare facilities for the Hajj rituals was found to be severely insufficient to accommodate 2.5 million pilgrims during the COVID-19 pandemic due to high transmissibility. 13 , 14…”

Section: Saudi Global Center For Mass Gatherings Medicinementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reducing the number of pilgrims was a courageous and well-calculated decision based on risk assessment and wide consultation with relevant stakeholders, including religious leaders. 13 Collaboration between Saudi governmental sectors was one of the critical success factors of the risk mitigation plan. Proceeding with Hajj in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic was crucial for several reasons: (1) unlike Umrah, which can be performed anytime, Hajj is an annual event restricted to a specific date in the Hijri lunar year; (2) Hajj has a spiritual and religious place in the hearts of all Muslims worldwide who represent almost 25% of the global population; (3) Hajj has specific and time-limited rituals with a well-known course and order, unlike Umrah; and (4) Hajj is 1 of the 5 pillars of Islam, which makes it an annual destination for millions of Muslims in Saudi Arabia and abroad.…”

Section: Outcomes Of the 2020 Hajj Seasonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 Mitigation Plans During Hajj 2020: A Success Story of Zero Cases

et al. 2021

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The Hajj pilgrimage, held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is among the largest mass gatherings in the world. More than 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims assemble from over 180 countries worldwide to perform Hajj. The Saudi government recognized the potential risks associated with this event since the first novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case was detected in the country on March 2, 2020. The return of possibly infected pilgrims to their countries after this huge mass gathering event could have turned Hajj into a superspreading event during the global COVID-19 pandemic. A multidisciplinary Saudi team from governmental sectors, including the Global Center for Mass Gatherings Medicine, shared in the assessment, planning, execution, and success of this holy event to prevent the spread of disease. The World Health Organization welcomed the Saudi government's decision to protect the wellbeing and safety of pilgrims and strengthen regional and global health security. A total of 1,000 pilgrims from 160 different countries were randomly selected to perform the rituals. Of all the pilgrims, healthcare personnel, and nonmedical employees facilitating the rituals, no confirmed cases of COVID-19 were identified during or after Hajj. This article highlights the success of the risk mitigation plan in place during the Hajj pilgrimage in 2020 (1441 Hijri year) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts of the Saudi government to prevent associated outbreaks.

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Section: Saudi Global Center For Mass Gatherings Medicinementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Saudi Global Center For Mass Gatherings Medicinementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Outcomes Of the 2020 Hajj Seasonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 Mitigation Plans During Hajj 2020: A Success Story of Zero Cases

et al. 2021

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“…8 The technical consultation proposed the naming of the adapted risk assessment protocol as the Jeddah tool for MG risk assessment, and the tool was modified with inputs from WHO and international experts, and validated through several MG risk assessments in the Kingdom. [8][9][10]…”

Section: Context and Tool's Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidance for Health Risk Assessment at Recurrent Mass Gatherings: The Jeddah Tool Framework

Bieh

Khan

El-Ganainy

et al. 2021

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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A wide range of natural and man-made hazards increases the health risks at mass gatherings (MGs). Building on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (H-EDRM) framework to strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery from health emergencies in the communities and emergency-prone settings, such as MGs. The Jeddah tool is derived from the H-EDRM framework as an all-hazard MG risk assessment tool, which provides a benchmark for monitoring progress made in capacity strengthening over a given period for recurrent MGs. Additionally, it introduces a reputational risk assessment domain to complement vulnerability and capacity assessment matrixes. This paper describes the key elements of the Jeddah tool to improve the understanding of health risk assessment at MGs in the overarching contexts of health emergencies and disaster risk reduction, in line with international goals.

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“…The risk assessment identified potential risks associated with the pilgrimage and identified insufficiency in the number of healthcare facilities to accommodate pilgrims during the COVID-19 pandemic. 7,8 National response to COVID-19 (timeline). The response of Saudi Arabia to the COVID-19 pandemic is of immense importance to the well-being of Hajj pilgrims.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Hajj and COVID-19: How the Pandemic Shaped the World’s Largest Religious Gathering

Hashim

Babar

Essar

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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The Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, is held in Saudi Arabia in the second week of Dhu’l-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the world’s largest mass gatherings, constituting more than 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims from more than 180 countries. The COVID-19 pandemic posed a significant public health threat for such mass gatherings. Thus, a health risk assessment for the 2020 Hajj was held by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mass Gatherings Medicine, which concluded that foreign pilgrims should be excluded from the 2020 Hajj and that the number of pilgrims should be significantly reduced. Timely decisions allowed the Saudi government to conduct the Hajj, despite an initial postponement. However, the number of pilgrims was significantly downscaled, and extensive new protocols were set in place because of the pandemic. This article aims to shed light on the challenges faced and efforts made by Saudi Arabia to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 during the religious proceedings of the Hajj.

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Estimating the COVID-19 risk during the Hajj pilgrimage

Cited by 16 publications

References 7 publications

COVID-19 Mitigation Plans During Hajj 2020: A Success Story of Zero Cases

COVID-19 Mitigation Plans During Hajj 2020: A Success Story of Zero Cases

Guidance for Health Risk Assessment at Recurrent Mass Gatherings: The Jeddah Tool Framework

The Hajj and COVID-19: How the Pandemic Shaped the World’s Largest Religious Gathering

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