ABSTRACT
Background: To prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Saudi Arabian Government introduced a number of measures in different phases (e.g. social distancing, curfew and lockdown). Aims: This study describes the incidence of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia during different phases of prevention strategies and assesses their effects on controlling the spread of the disease. Methods: This cross-sectional study used COVID-19 data for 2 March-5 July 2020 from the Ministry of Health website. The period was divided into five phases based on prevention strategies implemented to control the infection. The incidence, point prevalence, case fatality, overall mortality rate and recovery rates for COVID-19 infection were assessed at the national, regional and city levels. Results: At the end of phase 5 on 5 July 2020, the nationwide incidence of COVID-19 was 11%, total recovery rate 70%, case fatality rate 0.9% and adjusted case fatality rate 1.4% (adjusted for time lag for mortality). The COVID-19 point prevalence increased from 2.1/100 000 population in phase 1 to 178.2/100 000 population in phase 5. A high recovery rate (68.7%) was observed in phase 4 accompanied with lower overall mortality and incidence in phase 5. The eastern region of Saudi Arabia had the highest point prevalence of COVID-19 infection (450.5 per 100 000 population), while Jeddah and Mecca had the highest overall mortality. Conclusions: The health system of Saudi Arabia efficiently used lockdown and curfew periods to prepare for management of confirmed cases of COVID-19, reflected by the decreased incidence and mortality rates in phase 5.
