The first few cases and fatalities of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization: A rapid review

Abstract

In December 2019, a cluster of atypical Pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). Later, those cases were attributed to a novel respiratory virus currently known as COVID-19. The infection is affecting every continent. It was characterized by WHO as a global pandemic on 11 March 2020. Countries worldwide are implementing various preventive measures to contain the spread ofthe infection such as travel and trade restrictions, closure of educational institutions and shops, and some took more strict measures such as imposing curfew. WHO is emphasizing the importance of early detection of cases, contacttracing, risk communications, implementing multisectoral approach in order to combat COVID-19 infection. Countries should provide the public with accurate, transparentinformation aboutthe local and global situation ofthis escalating infection. Much uncertainty still surrounds this viralinfection,itsmodes oftransmissionanddynamics. Epidemiologicalinvestigations particularly for the first few cases of COVID-19 infection are critical to expand our knowledge about this evolving pandemic.Inthis review we summarized the data available aboutthefirstfew cases and fatalities of COVID-19 infection up to 18 March 2020 across Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization. such data were only available in websites of ministries of health of the targeted countries, WHO situational reports, online newspapers, and other media channels and this gave us an idea about the amount and type of data available for the public regarding this evolving infection