COVID-19: preparing for superspreader potential among Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Shahul H. Ebrahim, University of Sciences; Ziad Memish, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-03-14
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30466-9
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: The Lancet
• Volume: 395
• Issue: 10227
• Start Page: e48
• End Page: e48
• Grant/Funding Information: None declared
• Keywords: Islam; Civil Defense; Aged; Coronavirus Infections; Betacoronavirus; Humans; Infection Control; Pneumonia, Viral; Adult; Disease Outbreaks; SARS-CoV-2; Saudi Arabia; Travel; COVID-19; Patient Education as Topic
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Biology, Virology; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and the emergence of new epicentres of spread, such as South Korea and Iran, besides Wuhan, China, should draw attention to potential superspreader events.1 Of concern is the continuous Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia by Muslim pilgrims from more than 180 countries. In addition to the non-pilgrim air traffic (39 million people in 2018), Saudi Arabia received 7·5 million Umrah visa holders in 2019 (appendix).