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The paper endeavours to explore and analyse some critical issues in the oil and gas market that cropped up around the spread of COVID-19 and tries to identify the key drivers and triggers pertaining therewith. The spread of the first wave that began in March 2020 is crucial because of the global economic downturn that ensued due to lockdown and imposed restrictions coupled with a protracted oil price war that began between Saudi Arabia and Russia. The paper tries to address some key research questions to understand the triggers and drivers around the pandemic. These are: (1) whether the behaviour of OPEC or its key players around the pandemic could be considered uniquely different; (2) what could the triggers be for the increased volatilities that cropped up in both physical and financial markets during the pandemic; (3) what was really different about the oil market crisis around the pandemic that transformed it to an unprecedented storage crisis; (4) what really went wrong with the much-hyped U.S. shale boom during the pandemic that led to the bankruptcy of several oil and gas companies, followed by huge job losses. The paper relies on a structured review of relevant secondary literature to address these exploratory questions and builds upon a retrospective rumination on the world oil market from 1960 to 2020. This is complemented by an analysis of supporting data and evidence obtained from various sources. Considering the intertwining of oil and financial markets around the pandemic, the lessons and findings from the paper would not only be highly relevant for policymakers and stakeholders in the oil and gas sector but would be equally relevant for those in the financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we measured the impact of a full COVID-19 lockdown on ophthalmic patients after a period of lockdown in Saudi Arabia, from March to September 2020. A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out on 180 patients who had their appointments delayed or canceled due to the lockdown. Data was collected from electronic medical records and patients via voice calls using a validated questionnaire that were analyzed using a multivariable binary regression analysis. The results show no statistically significant mean difference in visual acuity when comparing pre- and post-lockdown measurements. The median number of appointment cancellations/delays per patient was two, and the estimated delay for the first canceled appointments was equal to 178.8 days. Of the cohort studied, 15.4% of patients faced delays in necessary surgical and therapeutic interventions; 22.1% of patients sought eye care at other institutions due to the delay, and 15% of those were seen by doctors unspecialized in ophthalmology. The odds of dissatisfaction with care were higher in patients who experienced cancellations in a surgical procedure and patients who experienced difficulty in obtaining medications. In conclusion, the pandemic hampered ophthalmic patients' access to medications. Subjective visual outcomes of patients were also negatively affected; however, the change in objective visual parameters was not statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, lockdowns were implemented in almost every single country in the world including Saudi Arabia. In this paper, the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on O3, NO2, and PM10 in Makkah was analysed using air quality and meteorology data from five sites. Two approaches were employed: (a) comparing raw measured concentrations for the lockdown period in 2019 and 2020; and (b) comparing weather-corrected concentrations estimated by the machine learning approach with observed concentrations during the lockdown period. According to the first approach, the average levels of PM10 and NO2 decreased by 12% and 58.66%, respectively, whereas the levels of O3 increased by 68.67%. According to the second approach, O3 levels increased by 21.96%, while the levels of NO2 and PM10 decreased by 13.40% and 9.66%, respectively. The machine learning approach after removing the effect of changes in weather conditions demonstrated relatively less reductions in the levels of NO2 and PM10 and a smaller increase in the levels of O3. This showed the importance of adjusting air pollutant levels for meteorological conditions. O3 levels increased due to its inverse correlation with NO2, which decreased during the lockdown period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly worldwide. On September 15, 2021, a total of 546,251 confirmed cases were recorded in Saudi Arabia alone. Saudi Arabia imposed various levels of lockdown and forced the community to implement social distancing. In this paper, we formulate a mathematical model to study the impact of these measures on COVID-19 spread. The model is analyzed qualitatively, producing two equilibrium points. The existence and stability of the COVID-19 free equilibrium and the endemic equilibrium depend on the control reproduction number, Rc. These results are in good agreement with the numerical experiments. Moreover, the model is fitted with actual data from the COVID-19 dashboard of the Saudi Ministry of Health. We divide the timeline from March 12, 2020, to September 23, 2020, into seven phases according to the varied applications of lockdown and social distancing. We then explore several scenarios to investigate the optimal application of these measures and address whether it is possible to rely solely on social distancing without imposing a lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key aim of this paper is to construct a modified version of the SEIQR essential disease dynamics model for the COVID-19 emergence. The modified SEIQR pandemic model takes a groundbreaking approach to evaluate and monitor the COVID-19 epidemic. The complex studies presented in this paper are based on real-world data from Saudi Arabia. A reproduction number and a systematic stability analysis are included in the new version of SEIQR model dynamics. Using the Jacobian linearization process, we can obtain the domain of the solution and the state of equilibrium based on the modified SEIQR model. The equilibrium and its importance have been identified, and the disease-free stability of the equilibrium has been investigated. The reproduction number was calculated using internal metrics, and the global stability of the current model's equilibrium was demonstrated using Lyapunov's stability theorem. To see how well the SEIQR proposed model went, it was compared to real COVID-19 spread data in Saudi Arabia. According to the results, the new SEIQR proposed model is a good match for researching the spread of epidemics like COVID-19. In the end, we presented an optimal protocol to prevent the dissemination of COVID-19. Staying at home and transporting sick people as far as possible to a safe region is the most effective strategy to prevent COVID-19 spread. It is critical to offer infected people safe and effective treatment, as well as antibiotics and nutrients to non-affected people. To detect confirmed infections, we must provide more effective and reliable diagnostic methods. Furthermore, increasing understanding of how to recognize the disease, its symptoms, and how to confirm the infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown on sleep patterns and quality among nursing students in our college. Design: A cross‐sectional study was carried out. Methods: A total of 302 nursing students aged 18–25 years, representing both genders and various academic levels, participated in this study. A pre‐validated, self‐administered questionnaire was used to assess sleep quality during COVID‐19 and it was distributed through various social media platforms for data collection. Results: Female students comprised the majority (92.1%) of participants. Of 332 nursing students, 302 completed the questionnaire, yielding a 91% response rate. Statistically significant differences were observed before and during the COVID‐19 lockdown regarding the need to sleep after waking, feeling refreshed upon waking, satisfaction with individual sleep patterns and experiencing restless and troubled sleep (p = 0.001). Additionally, approximately one‐third of nursing students (32.9%) reported poor sleep quality during the COVID‐19 pandemic, with minimal impact on the total sleep hours among the studied cohorts. Public Contribution: The COVID‐19 pandemic has statistically significant impacted nursing students' sleep quality and levels. Acknowledging these challenges and planning for providing supporting measurements is essential to ensuring that nursing students can maintain their physical and mental health, which is critical for their ability to provide quality healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Saudi Arabia, stay-at-home orders to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic between March 15 and 23, 2020 and eased on May 28, 2020. We conducted a scoping review to systematically describe physical activity and sedentary behavior in Saudi Arabia associated with the timing of the lockdown. Methods: We searched six databases on December 13, 2021 for articles published in English or Arabic from 2018 to the search date. Studies must have reported data from Saudi Arabia for any age and measured physical activity or sedentary behavior. Results: Overall, 286 records were found; after excluding duplicates, 209 records were screened, and 19 studies were included in the review. Overall, 15 studies were cross-sectional, and 4 studies were prospective cohorts. Three studies included children and adolescents (age: 2–18 years), and 16 studies included adults (age: 15–99 years). Data collection periods were < = 5 months, with 17 studies collecting data in 2020 only, one study in 2020–2021, and one study in 2021. The median analytic sample size was 363 (interquartile range 262–640). Three studies of children/adolescents collected behaviors online at one time using parental reporting, with one also allowing self-reporting. All three studies found that physical activity was lower during and/or following the lockdown than before the lockdown. Two studies found screen time, television watching, and playing video games were higher during or following the lockdown than before the lockdown. Sixteen adult studies assessed physical activity, with 15 utilizing self-reporting and one using accelerometry. Physical activity, exercise, walking, and park visits were all lower during or following the lockdown than before the lockdown. Six adult studies assessed sedentary behavior using self-report. Sitting time (4 studies) and screen time (2 studies) were higher during or following the lockdown than before the lockdown. Conclusions: Among children, adolescents, and adults, studies consistently indicated that in the short-term, physical activity decreased and sedentary behavior increased in conjunction with the movement restrictions. Given the widespread impact of the pandemic on other health behaviors, it would be important to continue tracking behaviors post-lockdown and identify subpopulations that may not have returned to their physical activity and sedentary behavior to pre-pandemic levels to focus on intervention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lockdown restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have reduced the number of injuries recorded. However, little is known about the impact of easing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on the nature and outcome of injuries. This study aims to compare injury patterns prior to and after the easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in Saudi Arabia. Method: Data were collected retrospectively from the Saudi TraumA Registry for the period between March 25, 2019, and June 21, 2021. These data corresponded to three periods: March 2019–February 2020 (pre-restrictions, period 1), March 2020–June 2020 (lockdown, period 2), and July 2020–June 2021 (post easing of restrictions, period 3). Data related to patients' demographics, mechanism and severity of injury, and in-hospital mortality were collected and analysed. Results: A total of 5,147 traumatic injury patients were included in the analysis (pre-restrictions n = 2593; lockdown n = 218; post easing of lockdown restrictions n = 2336). An increase in trauma cases (by 7.6%) was seen in the 30–44 age group after easing restrictions (n = 648 vs. 762, p < 0.01). Motor vehicle crashes (MVC) were the leading cause of injury, followed by falls in all the three periods. MVC-related injuries decreased by 3.1% (n = 1068 vs. 890, p = 0.03) and pedestrian-related injuries decreased by 2.7% (n = 227 vs. 143, p < 0.01); however, burn injuries increased by 2.2% (n = 134 vs. 174, p < 0.01) and violence-related injuries increased by 0.9% (n = 45 vs. 60, p = 0.05) post easing of lockdown restrictions. We observed an increase in in-hospital mortality during the period of 12 months after easing of lockdown restrictions—4.9% (114/2336) compared to 12 months of pre-lockdown period—4.3% (113/2593). Conclusion: This is one of the first studies to document trauma trends over a one-year period after easing lockdown restrictions. MVC continues to be the leading cause of injuries despite a slight decrease; overall injury cases rebounded towards pre-lockdown levels in Saudi Arabia. Injury prevention needs robust legislation with respect to road safety measures and law enforcement that can decrease the burden of traumatic injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student psychopathology has been a topic of increasing concern globally in recent years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, students' lives were heavily disrupted due to the change to remote learning. Now that learning is returning to normal, the turbulent changes students have experienced over the past few years may have impacted their mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate COVID-19-related anxiety and stress levels in students shortly after the resumption of on-campus classes at a private university in Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey design was used. Three hundred twenty-six participants were a part of the study. Results indicated that a significant number of students reported being occupied with worry and stress related to COVID-19 and that it negatively affected their comfort while on-campus, in their classroom participation, in their social interactions and in their overall university experience. The findings from this study may be valuable to higher education institutions, academic administrators, lecturers and students themselves in helping to minimize friction during the process of students' return to campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the COVID-19 lockdown impacting the livelihood of people globally, changes in household behaviors, water consumption patterns, etc., have implications on sanitation, hygiene, and disease control. An online questionnaire survey was conducted, and officials were interviewed to assess the impact of the lockdown on water consumption patterns in the Dammam Metropolitan Area, Saudi Arabia. The multiple regression analysis on responses from the survey indicates that water consumption increased by 50% in 86% of the respondents, leading to higher utility bills. Socioeconomic factors also influenced water consumption. The officials interviewed emphasized the need for integrating water policies with disaster management actions. This study contributes to the prospering empirical literature on the pandemic COVID-19 and water consumption/usage behavioral practices by exploring the behavior of household water during COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. This study can help decision-makers in Saudi Arabia and other developing countries in boosting awareness related to water management in crisis time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]