The impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Simulation approach

Objectives: This paper aims to measure the impact of the implemented nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the pandemic using simulation modeling. Methods: To measure the impact of NPI, a hybrid agent-based and system dynamics simulation model was built a...

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Main Authors: Ahmad Alhomaid, Abdullah H. Alzeer, Fahad Alsaawi, Abdulaziz Aljandal, Rami Al-Jafar, Marwan Albalawi, Dana Alotaibi, Raghad Alabdullatif, Razan AlGhassab, Dalia M. Mominkhan, Muaddi Alharbi, Ahmad A. Alghamdi, Maryam Almoklif, Mohammed K. Alabdulaali
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2024-01-01
Series:Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S131901642300381X
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author Ahmad Alhomaid
Abdullah H. Alzeer
Fahad Alsaawi
Abdulaziz Aljandal
Rami Al-Jafar
Marwan Albalawi
Dana Alotaibi
Raghad Alabdullatif
Razan AlGhassab
Dalia M. Mominkhan
Muaddi Alharbi
Ahmad A. Alghamdi
Maryam Almoklif
Mohammed K. Alabdulaali
author_facet Ahmad Alhomaid
Abdullah H. Alzeer
Fahad Alsaawi
Abdulaziz Aljandal
Rami Al-Jafar
Marwan Albalawi
Dana Alotaibi
Raghad Alabdullatif
Razan AlGhassab
Dalia M. Mominkhan
Muaddi Alharbi
Ahmad A. Alghamdi
Maryam Almoklif
Mohammed K. Alabdulaali
author_sort Ahmad Alhomaid
collection DOAJ
description Objectives: This paper aims to measure the impact of the implemented nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the pandemic using simulation modeling. Methods: To measure the impact of NPI, a hybrid agent-based and system dynamics simulation model was built and validated. Data were collected prospectively on a weekly basis. The core epidemiological model is based on a complex Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered and Dead model of epidemic dynamics. Reverse engineering was performed on a weekly basis throughout the study period as a mean for model validation which reported on four outcomes: total cases, active cases, ICU cases, and deaths cases. To measure the impact of each NPI, the observed values of active and total cases were captured and compared to the projected values of active and total cases from the simulation. To measure the impact of each NPI, the study period was divided into rounds of incubation periods (cycles of 14 days each). The behavioral change of the spread of the disease was interpreted as the impact of NPIs that occurred at the beginning of the cycle. The behavioral change was measured by the change in the initial reproduction rate (R0). Results: After 18 weeks of the reverse engineering process, the model achieved a 0.4 % difference in total cases for prediction at the end of the study period. The results estimated that NPIs led to 64 % change in The R0. Our breakdown analysis of the impact of each NPI indicates that banning going to schools had the greatest impact on the infection reproduction rate (24 %). Conclusion: We used hybrid simulation modeling to measure the impact of NPIs taken by the KSA government. The finding further supports the notion that early NPIs adoption can effectively limit the spread of COVID-19. It also supports using simulation for building mathematical modeling for epidemiological scenarios.
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spelling doaj-art-3b98cd63d10a48b09be7c55bafd1a0312025-08-20T03:55:41ZengSpringerSaudi Pharmaceutical Journal1319-01642024-01-0132110188610.1016/j.jsps.2023.101886The impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Simulation approachAhmad Alhomaid0Abdullah H. Alzeer1Fahad Alsaawi2Abdulaziz Aljandal3Rami Al-Jafar4Marwan Albalawi5Dana Alotaibi6Raghad Alabdullatif7Razan AlGhassab8Dalia M. Mominkhan9Muaddi Alharbi10Ahmad A. Alghamdi11Maryam Almoklif12Mohammed K. Alabdulaali13Data Services Sector, Lean Business Services, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaData Services Sector, Lean Business Services, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaData Services Sector, Lean Business Services, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaData Services Sector, Lean Business Services, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaData Services Sector, Lean Business Services, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; Corresponding author.Department of Digital Health, Lean Business Services, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaData Services Sector, Lean Business Services, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaData Services Sector, Lean Business Services, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaData Services Sector, Lean Business Services, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaNational Health Command Center, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaNational Health Command Center, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaNational Health Command Center, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaNational Health Command Center, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaMinistry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaObjectives: This paper aims to measure the impact of the implemented nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the pandemic using simulation modeling. Methods: To measure the impact of NPI, a hybrid agent-based and system dynamics simulation model was built and validated. Data were collected prospectively on a weekly basis. The core epidemiological model is based on a complex Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered and Dead model of epidemic dynamics. Reverse engineering was performed on a weekly basis throughout the study period as a mean for model validation which reported on four outcomes: total cases, active cases, ICU cases, and deaths cases. To measure the impact of each NPI, the observed values of active and total cases were captured and compared to the projected values of active and total cases from the simulation. To measure the impact of each NPI, the study period was divided into rounds of incubation periods (cycles of 14 days each). The behavioral change of the spread of the disease was interpreted as the impact of NPIs that occurred at the beginning of the cycle. The behavioral change was measured by the change in the initial reproduction rate (R0). Results: After 18 weeks of the reverse engineering process, the model achieved a 0.4 % difference in total cases for prediction at the end of the study period. The results estimated that NPIs led to 64 % change in The R0. Our breakdown analysis of the impact of each NPI indicates that banning going to schools had the greatest impact on the infection reproduction rate (24 %). Conclusion: We used hybrid simulation modeling to measure the impact of NPIs taken by the KSA government. The finding further supports the notion that early NPIs adoption can effectively limit the spread of COVID-19. It also supports using simulation for building mathematical modeling for epidemiological scenarios.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S131901642300381XCOVID-19 preventionHybrid simulationNon-pharmaceutical intervention
spellingShingle Ahmad Alhomaid
Abdullah H. Alzeer
Fahad Alsaawi
Abdulaziz Aljandal
Rami Al-Jafar
Marwan Albalawi
Dana Alotaibi
Raghad Alabdullatif
Razan AlGhassab
Dalia M. Mominkhan
Muaddi Alharbi
Ahmad A. Alghamdi
Maryam Almoklif
Mohammed K. Alabdulaali
The impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Simulation approach
Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal
COVID-19 prevention
Hybrid simulation
Non-pharmaceutical intervention
title The impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Simulation approach
title_full The impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Simulation approach
title_fullStr The impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Simulation approach
title_full_unstemmed The impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Simulation approach
title_short The impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Simulation approach
title_sort impact of non pharmaceutical interventions on the spread of covid 19 in saudi arabia simulation approach
topic COVID-19 prevention
Hybrid simulation
Non-pharmaceutical intervention
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S131901642300381X
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