Prevalence and Epidemiological Trends in Mortality Due to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Dema A Alissa,Hatoon Ezzat,Maha M Alawi,Hajar Y Almudaiheem,Fahad Alrabiah,Wejdan Aburas,Mohammed H Alosaimi,Ashraf A Moulana,Manal S Bamousa,Adel A Alshehri,Edward Devol,Mohammed S Alamri,Eid Almutairy,Ahmed H Al-Jedai,Zohair Al Aseri,Tareef Alaama

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3834306

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) created a major public health emergency and an international concern. It is an infectious respiratory illness caused by acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The international mortality rates due to COVID-19 reached 2,748,763 on March 24, 2021. We describe the prevalence, case fatality rate, and epidemiological trends of COVID-19 mortality in Saudi Arabia in this paper.Method: A systematic approach of evaluating COVID-19 related mortalities was established in Saudi Arabia. A scientific committee that evaluated all reported cases with suspicious or confirmed COVID-19 disease using a standardized electronic form. A data registry of all deaths with all clinical parameters was built based on active reporting from all healthcare facilities in Saudi Arabia. Analysis of data using national and regional crude case fatality rate (cCFR) and death per 100,000 population was carried. Descriptive analysis of age, gender, nationality, and comorbidities. Mortality trend was plotted per week and compared to international figures.Results: The total reported number of deaths between March 23rd until April 9, 2021 was 6,737. cCFR was reported as 1.70%, and death per 100,000 population was reported as 19.24 which compared favourably to figures reported by several developed countries. Highest percentages of deaths were among individuals aged between 60-69 years, males (74%), individuals with diabetes (60%), and Hypertension (50%).Conclusion: Case fatality rate and death per 100,000 population in Saudi Arabia is among the lowest in the world due to multiple factors. Several comorbidities have been identified namely diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cardiac arrhythmias.Funding Statement: This research project was not funded by any commercial or non-commercial organization.Declaration of Interests: The authors of this manuscript have no conflicts of interest.Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the central IRB of the Saudi Ministry ofHealth.

Highlights

Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious respiratory illness caused by acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has devastating implications on health, economy, and daily life.The first case of COVID-19 had emerged in Wuhan, China, in late December of 2019
(5) The elderly population is at a higher risk of death (5,6), but this might be attributed to their pre-existing medical conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory diseases, or cancer independently associated with increased risk of death related to COVID-19. (5-7) Obesity has been shown to contribute to disease severity (8,9)
This is the first report on the prevalence and epidemiological trends of COVID-19 mortality in Saudi Arabia

Summary

Introduction

Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious respiratory illness caused by acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has devastating implications on health, economy, and daily life.The first case of COVID-19 had emerged in Wuhan, China, in late December of 2019. (4) whether this is linked to genetic predisposition, socio-economic vulnerabilities, access to care, or other associated factors, have yet to be determined Regarding gender, it has been well-established that males are at nearly 1.7-fold higher risk of death due to COVID-19 than females. Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) created a major public health emergency and an international concern It is an infectious respiratory illness caused by acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2). Case fatality rate, and epidemiological trends of COVID-19 mortality in Saudi Arabia in this paper. Conclusion: Case fatality rate and death per 100,000 population in Saudi Arabia is among the lowest in the world due to multiple factors. Key worlds: COVID-19, case fatality rate, Mortality, Prevalence, Epidemiological Trends, Saudi Arabia

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