A comparative study of Coronavirus cases in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Abstract

Objectives: The first outbreak of COVID-19 was recognized in early March in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and then accelerated at an exponential rate within a short period. The present study objective is to evaluate the prevalence of COVID-19 in GCC countries. Methods: Six countries are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman included in the study. Six parameters of COVID-19 data were collected from various dashboards. Data analyses of all parameters were expressed in frequencies and percentages. Results: The highest number of cases was reported in Saudi Arabia (347,282) and least in Bahrain (81,466). The cases in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain have been reported a decrease, while the UAE and Oman reported an increase in the month of October. The recovery rates in Qatar (97.76%) and the UAE (97.19%) showed highest. Saudi Arabia and Oman showed the highest death rate (1.56% and 1.06%), while Qatar lowest death rate (0.18%). Critical cases are more in Saudi Arabia (0.22%). Oman showed the highest number of active cases (8.88%). The highest percentage of COVID-19 infection rates are in Bahrain (4.75%) and Qatar (4.72%). The UAE (132.77%) and Bahrain (101.24%) reported the highest COVID-19-tested percentage, while Oman (7.32%) had the least in their given population. Conclusions: The status of COVID-19 in the UAE and Oman showed a slight increase in the cases. The overall outcomes represent the status of COVID-19 in GCC countries reliably under control. The strategies used by these countries played an extremely important role in preventing higher death rate and spread of the virus.