Abstract
Infodemiology uses web-based data to inform public health policymakers. This study aimed to examine the diffusion of Arabic language discussions and analyze the nature of Internet search behaviors related to the global COVID-19 pandemic through two platforms (Twitter and Google Trends) in Saudi Arabia. A set of Twitter Arabic data related to COVID-19 was collected and analyzed. Using Google Trends, internet search behaviors related to the pandemic were explored. Health and risk perceptions and information related to the adoption of COVID-19 infodemic markers were investigated. Moreover, Google mobility data was used to assess the relationship between different community activities and the pandemic transmission rate. The same data was used to investigate how changes in mobility could predict new COVID-19 cases. The results show that the top COVID-19–related terms for misinformation on Twitter were folk remedies from low quality sources. The number of COVID-19 cases in different Saudi provinces has a strong negative correlation with COVID-19 search queries on Google Trends (Pearson r = −0.63) and a statistical significance (p < 0.05). The reduction of mobility is highly correlated with a decreased number of total cases in Saudi Arabia. Finally, the total cases are the most significant predictor of the new COVID-19 cases.
Highlights
In late December 2019, news of a novel coronavirus began to emerge from Wuhan, China
Our analysis revealed that provinces with a higher numnumber of COVID-19
Using Google Trends, we investigated the relationship between information prevalence in each province in Saudi Arabia and the number of daily new cases
Summary
In late December 2019, news of a novel coronavirus began to emerge from Wuhan, China. The new virus, named by World Health Organization (WHO) as Coronavirus. Disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes severe acute respiratory infection leading to death in many cases [1]. This virus has continued to spread aggressively around the world, causing a global panic and posing serious challenges to public health and policy makers. Many countries have enforced rigorous protective measures to combat the pandemic, such as mandatory quarantine and massive closures.
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