Hajj and Umrah Mass Gatherings and COVID-19 Infection

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Van-Thuan Hoang, Aix Marseille Université; Philippe Gautret, Aix Marseille Université; Ziad Memish, Emory University; Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-12-01
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40475-020-00218-x
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Current Tropical Medicine Reports
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 133
• End Page: 140
• Grant/Funding Information: None declared
• Keywords: COVID-19; Mass gatherings; Global Health; Public health; Infectious Diseases; Pharmacology & Pharmacy
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Public Health; Sociology, Public and Social Welfare

Abstract

Purpose of Review: We discuss the risk of COVID-19 in religious mass gathering events including Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. Recent Findings: The risk of transmission of respiratory viruses including COVID-19 is particularly high due to the overcrowding conditions at the Hajj and Umrah. The profile of the Hajj pilgrims who tend to be older and with multiple comorbidities corresponds to that of individuals at risk for severe COVID-19. In order to avoid a COVID-19 outbreak with potential spreading to many countries through returning pilgrims, Saudi Arabia suspended the Umrah, and access to the 2020 Hajj was very limited. Summary: A clear relation between early suspension of religious mass gatherings and lower occurrence of COVID-19 transmission in countries that took such measures promptly was noticed. There are lessons to national and international health organizations for other mass gatherings in the context of the pandemic.