ABSTRACT
Introduction: The continued explosive spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 worldwide is a crucial problem for all countries. Even though it is becoming increasingly difficult to stop the spread of the virus according to the World Health Organisation, countries need to enforce strict measures to minimise its effects. This study attempts to assess the awareness and compliance of the local population for following the precautionary measures against. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at different districts of Majmaah city, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional survey study was carried out at different districts of Majmaah city, Saudi Arabia, and 502 individual's respondents were included in the study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire for noting compliance towards protective measures. All participants were informed about the nature of the study and given an informed consent form. Data were collected and analysed using SPSS@ 25 (SPSS Version 25.0. Armonk, Newyork: IBM Corp). Categorical variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. t-test was applied to compare mean scores.Results: There were 502 people who participated in this study, among them 260 (51.8%) were males and 242 (48.2%) females. This study highlighted that the population awareness was good and residents showed strong commitment towards coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) precautionary measures. The overall mean scores for awareness and commitment levels were 6.68 +/- 1.04 and 4.00 +/- 1.13. Conclusions: Most participants in the study had a positive perception of COVID-19 prevention and control. Residents of Saudi Arabia responded well to the threat imposed by COVID-19 and are following their government and health regulatory body's instructions. It is therefore suggested that this would also be a valuable resource for policymakers of Saudi Arabia
ABSTRACT
We aimed this systematic review to analyze and review the currently available published literature related to long COVID, understanding its pattern, and predicting the long-term effects on survivors. We thoroughly searched the databases for relevant articles till May 2021. The research articles that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria were assessed and reviewed by two independent researchers. After preliminary screening of the identified articles through title and abstract, 249 were selected. Consequently, 167 full-text articles were assessed and reviewed based on our inclusion criteria and thus 20 articles were regarded as eligible and analyzed in the present analysis. All the studies included adult population aged between 18 and above 60 years. The median length of hospital stay of the COVID-19 patients during the acute infection phase ranged from 8 days to 17 days. The most common prevalent long-term symptoms in COVID-19 patients included persistent fatigue and dyspnea in almost all of the studies. Other reported common symptoms included: shortness of breath, cough, joint pain, chest pain or tightness, headache, loss of smell/taste, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of memory, depression, anxiety. Associated cardiovascular events included arrhythmias, palpitations and hypotension, increased HR, venous thromboembolic diseases, myocarditis, and acute/decompensated heart failure as well. Among neurological manifestations headache, peripheral neuropathy symptoms, memory issues, concentration, and sleep disorders were most commonly observed with varying frequencies. Mental health issues affecting mental abilities, mood fluctuations namely anxiety and depression, and sleep disorders were commonly seen. Further, diarrhea, vomiting, digestive disorders, and Loss of appetite or weight loss are common gastrointestinal manifestations. Therefore, appropriate clinical evaluation is required in long COVID cases which in turn may help us to identify the risk factors, etiology, and to my help, we treat them early with appropriate management strategies.