Journal of Preventive Medicine

Effects of COVID-19 Vaccinations on Residents in Comprehensive Rehabilitation Centres in Saudi Arabia

Background: COVID-19 is a recent pandemic that has especially harmful effects on aged and disabled people, who are likelier to contract it if they live in residential care service facilities. Thus, there is a critical need to vaccinate such populations for COVID-19 to limit the disease’s morbidity and mortality, as vaccination is generally acknowledged as providing a better method of reducing COVID-19’s morbidity and mortality. However, the effects of COVID-19 vaccines on elderly and disabled populations have not been investigated in Comprehensive Rehabilitation Centres (CRC) in KSA.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of COVID-19 vaccinations on CRC residents in the KSA.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data collected from the medical records of 2000 aged and disabled residents in CRC in 10 regions of the KSA between March and May 2022. The study used records regarding cases of COVID-19 infection, hospitalisations and mortality due to COVID-19 for residents who had been vaccinated for COVID-19.

Results: The study showed low rates (6.2%; n=124) of confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses and one critical illness (0.05%) and no mortalities from COVID-19 for residents in CRC who had been vaccinated for COVID-19.

Conclusions: The KSA’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of human resources and social development contributed to decline rates of COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation and mortality in vaccinated residents of CRC in the KSA.

Author(s): Ghanam Alshammri*, Fayez Alahmri, Salwa Almomen, Abdullah Balobaid, Abdulaziz Aldawsari, Mohammed Alshahmeh, Manal Aljeraiway and Sarah Alqhtani

Abstract | PDF

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