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

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% (n = 9701) were COVID-19 positive, of which 83.27% (n = 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.

Shock index and modified shock index as triage screening tools for sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Fever is one of the common conditions encountered in the emergency department, which related to a spectrum of diseases severity. Identifying sepsis patients from uncomplicated febrile patients is challenging in the emergency triage areas and pre-hospital settings. OBJECTIVES: Assess the triage shock index (SI) and modified shock index (MSI) in febrile patients as predictors for sepsis and sepsis-related outcomes. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Patients presented to the Emergency Department of King Khalid University Hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The analysis included all febrile adult patients triaged with a temperature of 38 °C or more from January 2016 to December 2017. Based on triage vital sign we calculate the SI with cut-off levels of ≥0.7 and ≥1 and MSI with cut-off levels of ≥1 and ≥1.3. We report the Relative Risk, Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive and Negative Predictive Values of the predictors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sepsis and sepsis-related outcomes such as hyperlactatemia, ICU admission, and 28 days mortality. SAMPLE SIZE: 274 patients. RESULTS: 274 patients met our inclusion/exclusion criteria. Of the 274 patients, 252 patient (92%) were septic, 62 patients (22%) had hyperlactatemia, 20 patients admitted to the ICU, and 5 patient died within 28 days. An MSI of ≥1 had a sensitivity of 90% for sepsis predication, 85% for ICU admission and 100% for 28 days mortality. MSI of ≥1.3 showed a specificity (59%-100%) for all the outcomes of interest. Non-significant statistical trends of greater accuracy of MSI over SI. CONCLUSION: MSI and SI were found to be promising predictors in triaging febrile patients. However no single cut-off values of MSI or SI were found to have an optimal accuracy for prediction of sepsis and sepsis-related outcomes. Further studies are required to assess the incorporation of MSI in a multi-item scaling system for the prediction of sepsis and its related outcomes. LIMITATIONS: Small single center study and the results may not be generalizable.