The following digest summarizes the most important scholarly and policy publications, reports, and articles covering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the politics, economies, and societies of the Arab world. Mofeed Digest is produced by Mofeed Project Coordinator Serage Amatory.
[MENA| Algeria | Egypt| Iraq| Jordan| Kuwait | Libya| Morocco|Palestine| Qatar| Saudi Arabia| Tunisia| UAE]
MENA
Countries’ Progress Towards Global Health Security (GHS) Increased Health Systems Resilience During The Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) Pandemic: A Difference-In-Difference Study Of 191 Countries
PLOS Global Public Health, 7 January 2025
This study, including data from several Middle East countries, seeks to better characterize when and to what extent countries’ progress towards Global Health Security (GHS) augments health systems resilience.
Emerging And Re-Emerging Disease Threats In The Middle East And North Africa Region—One Health Approaches And Potential Strategies
European Journal of Public Health, 13 January 2025
This study contends that MENA’s role as a nexus for movement of people and animals means that emerging human and animal disease threats in the region have global reach.
Descriptive Analysis Of TikTok Content On Vaccination In Arabic
AIMS Public Health, 17 January 2025
This study investigates the quality of TikTok videos regarding vaccination in Arabic, with examination of the association of video source and content type with the information quality and video engagement metrics.
Algeria
Managing Emergency Crises Using Secure Information Through Educational Awareness: COVID-19 Case Study
Computers in Biology and Medicine, 3 January 2025
This study from Algeria uses a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-based hybrid model for health monitoring and health crisis forecasting.
Teaching Civilization Online: Teachers and Students Experiences with Moodle during the Covid-19 Lockdown at Mascara University, Algeria
Journal of Human Studies and Social, 16 January 2025
This paper examines the experiences of both teachers and students in the Department of English at Mascara University, focusing on the teaching and learning of the Civilization module.
Egypt
Autoimmune Rheumatic Manifestations In A Cohort Of Egyptian COVID-19 Patients
Egyptian Journal of Immunology, January 2025
This study evaluates the prevalence of autoimmune rheumatic manifestations among a cohort of Egyptian patients with COVID-19 infection.
Combating COVID-19 And Its Co-Infection By Aspergillus Tamarii SP73-EGY Using In Vitro And In Silico Studies
Nature Scientific Reports, 3 January 2025
This study evaluates the antiviral properties of Aspergillus tamarii SP73-EGY isolate extract against low pathogenic coronavirus (229E), Adeno-7- and Herpes-2 viruses.
Dietary Habits And Weight Change During The Second Wave Of The COVID-19 Pandemic Among The Egyptian Population
BMC Nutrition, 7 January 2025
This cross–sectional study uses anonymous online questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed across Egypt via community–based networks, social and institutional emailing lists, and professional organizations to collect data on sociodemographic, clinical history, dietary and lifestyle habits, physical activity, anthropometric measurements, and stressing factors.
Clinical Manifestations Of COVID-19 Infection And Its Impact On The Outcome In Children And Adolescents With Benign And Malignant Hematological Disease In Egypt: A Single-Center Experience
Egyptian Pediatric Association Gazette, 10 January 2025
This study examines (a) the frequency of COVID-19 infection in children with hematological disease, (b) the presenting clinical manifestations, and (c) the associated underlying disease outcome and its clinical determinants.
The quarantine hospital strategy as a way to reduce both community and nosocomial transmission in the context of a COVID-like epidemic
BMJ, 13 January 2025
This study uses a mathematical model coupling hospitals and community to assess the impact of hospitals’ strategy to reduce community and nosocomial transmission on overall epidemic dynamics.
Factors Predictive Of Epidemic Waves Of Covid-19 In Africa During The First Two Years Of The Pandemic
IJID, 25 January 2025
This study examines the epidemic wave curves, according to the characteristics of the countries, with a view to identifying the differences and the predictive factors of evolution.
Cross-Cultural Sense-Making of Global Health Crises: A Text Mining Study of Public Opinions on Social Media Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Developed and Developing Economies
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27 January 2025
This study examines the evolution of citizen collective sense-making during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing social media discourse across Italy, the United Kingdom, and Egypt, representing diverse economic and cultural contexts.
Iraq
Prevalence of Long COVID-19 among Home-treated COVID-19 Patients in Baghdad, Iraq 2023
Iraqi Journal of Community Medecine, January-June 2025
This study seeks to establish base-line data for health policy makers to prevent and control this important public health problem.
Generalized Anxiety Disorders Among The Adult Population In Basra During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Iraqi National Journal of Medicine, 15 January 2025
This study assesses the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the adult population in Basra.
Jordan
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (MIS-C) Associated With COVID-19, Clinical Characteristics: A Multi-Center Observational Study From Jordan
Global Epidemiology, 25 January 2025
This study describes the clinical course for 74 patients diagnosed with this disease.
Attitudes Of Final-Year Medical Students In Jordan Towards Volunteering During A Pandemic
Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 25 January 2025
This study evaluates students’ experience and attitudes towards volunteering during a pandemic and the factors affecting that.
Screening For Social Anxiety Disorder In Students Of Jordan Universities After COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study
BMJ Open, 28 January 2025
This study examines the prevalence rate of social anxiety disorder (SAD) among university students in Jordan after the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated predictors.
Kuwait
Genetic Insights Into MIS-C Post-COVID-19 In Kuwaiti Children: Investigating Monogenic Factors
Frontiers in Cellular and Infectious Microbiology, 8 January 2025
This study analyzes 24 children under 12 years old, all of whom met the criteria provided by the World Health Organization, 2020 for MIS-C diagnosis, from the Paediatric COVID-19 Registry in Kuwait (PCR-Q8).
Evaluating the Psychological Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study
Advances in Public Health, 24 January 2025
The study assesses the long-term effect of the pandemic on HCWs’ health.
Libya
Relation Between Food Intake Pattern, Body Weight Status and Severity of COVID 19 Infection in Benghazi, Libya
British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 19 January 2025
This study investigates the changes in the nutritional status and body weight in relation to severity of the disease in Benghazi city during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Morocco
Does the Consumption of Metformin Correlate With a Reduction in Mortality Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and COVID-19 in Morocco?
Cureus, 11 January 2025
This study assesses whether metformin therapy for type 2 diabetes (T2DM) was associated with a reduced mortality rate in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 compared to other antihyperglycemic drugs.
Exploring Healthcare Workers’ Immunisation Behaviour Towards COVID-19 Vaccines Through Psychological Patterns
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 24 January 2025
This study, drawing on data from Morocco, investigates key factors influencing stress related to vaccination in emergency situations among healthcare professionals.
Palestine
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Academic Research Productivity and Faculty Performance in Palestinian Universities: A Qualitative Investigation
An-Najah University Journal for Research – B (Humanities), 3 January 2025
The present investigation intends to examine the viewpoints of Palestinian academic personnel on the influence of the Coronavirus on their research activities and academic achievements.
Qatar
Challenges In Diagnosing Polyethylene Glycol And Polysorbate 80 Allergies: Implications For Allergic Reactions In COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination Program: Experience From Qatar
Frontiers in Allergy, 7 January 2025
This study reviews the practical aspects of using allergy skin testing for COVID-19 vaccine excipients in patients with a history of allergic reactions developed following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.
Adapting to Change and Transforming Crisis into Opportunity – Behavioral and Policy Shifts in Sustainable Practices Post-Pandemic
Heliyon, 16 January 2025
This paper examines the shifting dynamics of human behavior and perception in response to shocks, with a specific focus on the unique socio-economic and cultural context of Qatar.
Saudi Arabia
Public Perception Of COVID-19 In Saudi Arabia During The Omicron Wave: Recommendations For Policy Improvement
Frontiers in Public Health, 2025
This study investigates Saudi citizens’ perceptions of COVID-19 during the Omicron wave.
Comparing Characteristics And Outcomes Of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest During The Early And Late COVID-19 Pandemic At An Academic Institution In Saudi Arabia
Australian Critical Care, January 2025
This study compares the characteristics and outcomes of patients who sustained in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) during the early COVID-19 pandemic period (2020) with those during the late COVID-19 pandemic period (2021).
A 10 Year Long-Lived Cellular and Humoral MERS-CoV Immunity Cross-Recognizing the Wild-Type and Variants of SARS-CoV-2: A Potential One-Way MERS-CoV Cross-Protection Toward a Pan-Coronavirus Vaccine
Journal of Medical Virology, January 2025
This study, drawing on data from Saudi Arabia, comprehensively investigates the long-lasting MERS-CoV-specific cellular and humoral immunity, and its cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, in individuals recovered from MERS-CoV infection 1-10 years prior.
Tunisia
Impact Of COVID-19 Lockdown On Dietary Habits And Weight Among Tunisian AdultsLa Tunisie Medicale, January 2025
This study assesses the impact of quarantine measures in Tunisia, with a focus on examining changes in dietary habits, levels of physical activity, psychological patterns, and factors contributing to weight gain.
High Performance COVID-19 Screening Using Machine Learning
Tunis Med., 2 January 2025
This study addresses COVID-19 screening challenges through an ML model (MLM) based on gradient boosting method. The study includes several clinical features and the daily geographic prevalence of COVID-19 cases in the MLM.
UAE
The COVID-19 Impacts on Mobility Behavior in a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Country
KSCI Journal of Civil Engineering, 13 January 2025
To draw strategies for the post pandemic transport management in the UAE, the study tries to quantify the effects of participants’ personal and perceived features on the change in mobility behavior as the severity of the COVID-19 changes.
Risk Factors Associated with Post-COVID-19 Conditions Among Diabetes Patients in the United Arab Emirates
Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, 20 January 2025
This study identifies risk factors for developing post-COVID-19 conditions among COVID-19 patients with diabetes compared to those without diabetes in the United Arab Emirates.