AUTHOR=Khan Anas A. , Alahdal Hadil M. , Alotaibi Reem M. , Sonbol Hana S. , Almaghrabi Rana H. , Alsofayan Yousef M. , Althunayyan Saqer M. , Alsaif Faisal A. , Almudarra Sami S. , Alabdulkareem Khaled I. , Assiri Abdullah M. , Jokhdar Hani A. 

TITLE=Controlling COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mass Screening Experience in Saudi Arabia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.606385

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2020.606385

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<p>A highly accelerating number of people around the world have been infected with novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Mass screening programs were suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an effective precautionary measure to contain the spread of the virus. On 16 April 2020, a COVID-19 mass screening program was initiated in Saudi Arabia in multiple phases. This study aims to analyze the number of detected COVID-19 cases, their demographic data, and regions most affected in the initial two phases of these mass screening programs. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among the high-risk population as part of the COVID-19 mass screening program across all regions in Saudi Arabia during April and May 2020. A Chi-square-test was used to determine the associations between positive cases and various demographic variables. Out of 71,854 screened individuals, 13.50% (<italic>n</italic> = 9701) were COVID-19 positive, of which 83.27% (<italic>n</italic> = 59,835) were males. Among positive cases, in the 30–39 years age group, 6.36% were in the active phase, and 2.19% were in the community phase. Based on our experience, launching mass screening programs is crucial for early case detection, isolation, and pattern recognition for immediate public interventions.</p>