Salah T Al Awaidy1, Faryal Khamis2, Fatma Al Attar3, Najiba Abdul Razzaq4, Laila Al Dabal5, Mushira Al Enani6, Wadha Alfouzan7, Muna Al Maslamani8, Hamad Al Romaihi9, Jameela Al Salman10, Haya Altawalah11, Sitwat Usman Langrial12, Lubna Al Ariqi13, Ozayr Mohamed14. 1. Office of Health Affairs, Ministry of Health, Muscat, Oman. 2. Adult Infectious Diseases Department, Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman. 3. International Health Regulation Section, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Abu Dhabi, UAE. 4. Department of Internal Medicine, Al Kuwait Hospital, Dubai, UAE. 5. Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, UAE. 6. Infectious Diseases Section, Department of Medicine, King Fahad Medical Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 7. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait. 8. Infectious Diseases Division, Medicine Department, Communicable Disease Center, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. 9. Communicable Disease Center, Ministry of Health, Doha, Qatar. 10. Department of Internal Medicine, Al Salmanya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain. 11. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait. 12. Department of Information Systems and Technology, Sur University College, Sur, Oman. 13. Independent Researcher, Abu Dhabi, UAE. 14. Department of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The World Health Organization (WHO) published a global strategic response plan in February 2020 aiming to mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. It identified immediate activities required for global preparedness and response to the outbreak and set eight priority areas (pillars) essential for scaling up countries' operational readiness and response. Despite a semi-annual progress report on implementing the Global Strategic Plan in June 2020, there is limited granular information available on the extent of the national plan's content and implementation, particularly in the Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Therefore, we sought to review the preparedness and responsiveness towards the COVID-19 outbreak in the GCC in the first phase of the pandemic and to document lessons learned for improving the ongoing response efforts and preparedness for future pandemics. METHODS: A rapid appraisal was conducted in June 2020 according to the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan and the accompanying Operational Planning Guidelines. The survey was administered to public health professionals or/and infectious disease experts in the states. The findings were cross-triangulated with secondary data that was publicly available for each country. RESULTS: The preparedness and response efforts of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were fully compliant with all 11 (100%) pillars of the modified strategic response measures. Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar complied with eight of the pillars. The component on conducting COVID-19 related research was the lowest-performing across all the six states. CONCLUSIONS: All GCC states demonstrated an effective response to the pandemic, enhanced existing infrastructures, and accelerated reforms that would have otherwise taken longer. The lessons learned through the early phase of the pandemic continue to steer the states in realigning their strategies and resetting their goals of controlling the outbreak, particularly in the current context of vaccine introduction and increasing preparedness capacities for future pandemics. The OMJ is Published Bimonthly and Copyrighted 2021 by the OMSB.
OBJECTIVES: The World Health Organization (WHO) published a global strategic response plan in February 2020 aiming to mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. It identified immediate activities required for global preparedness and response to the outbreak and set eight priority areas (pillars) essential for scaling up countries' operational readiness and response. Despite a semi-annual progress report on implementing the Global Strategic Plan in June 2020, there is limited granular information available on the extent of the national plan's content and implementation, particularly in the Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Therefore, we sought to review the preparedness and responsiveness towards the COVID-19 outbreak in the GCC in the first phase of the pandemic and to document lessons learned for improving the ongoing response efforts and preparedness for future pandemics. METHODS: A rapid appraisal was conducted in June 2020 according to the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan and the accompanying Operational Planning Guidelines. The survey was administered to public health professionals or/and infectious disease experts in the states. The findings were cross-triangulated with secondary data that was publicly available for each country. RESULTS: The preparedness and response efforts of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were fully compliant with all 11 (100%) pillars of the modified strategic response measures. Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar complied with eight of the pillars. The component on conducting COVID-19 related research was the lowest-performing across all the six states. CONCLUSIONS: All GCC states demonstrated an effective response to the pandemic, enhanced existing infrastructures, and accelerated reforms that would have otherwise taken longer. The lessons learned through the early phase of the pandemic continue to steer the states in realigning their strategies and resetting their goals of controlling the outbreak, particularly in the current context of vaccine introduction and increasing preparedness capacities for future pandemics. The OMJ is Published Bimonthly and Copyrighted 2021 by the OMSB.
Entities:
Keywords:
Bahrain; COVID-19; Goals; Kuwait; Oman; Pandemics; Qatar; SARS-CoV-2; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates
Authors: Ahmed Mohammed Obaid Al Saidi; Fowsiya Abikar Nur; Ahmed Salim Al-Mandhari; Maha El Rabbat; Assad Hafeez; Abdinasir Abubakar Journal: Lancet Date: 2020-07-03 Impact factor: 79.321
Authors: Salah T Al Awaidy; Ali Abdullah Al Maqbali; Iyad Omer; Suad Al Mukhaini; Mohammed Ali Al Risi; Majed Sultan Al Maqbali; Ali Al Reesi; Mujahid Al Busaidi; Fatma Hashim Al Hashmi; Talib Khamis Al Maqbali; Vidyanand Vaidya; Elham Said Ahmed Al Risi; Talib Khamis Al Maqbali; Ahmed Abdullah Rashid; Maryam Abdullah Hassan Al Beloshi; Arash Etemadi; Faryal Khamis Journal: J Infect Public Health Date: 2020-04-16 Impact factor: 3.718