Updated Surveillance Metrics and History of the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-2023) in the Middle East and North Africa: Longitudinal Trend Analysis.
Alan G SoetiknoAlexander L LundbergEgon Anderson OzerScott A WuSarah B WelchMaryann MasonYingxuan LiuRobert J HaveyRobert Leo MurphyClaudia A HawkinsCharles B MossLori Ann PostPublished in: JMIR public health and surveillance (2024)
The COVID-19 pandemic had far-reaching effects on MENA, impacting health care systems, economies, and social well-being. Although COVID-19 continues to circulate in the MENA region, the rate of transmission remained well below the threshold of an outbreak for over 1 year ahead of the WHO declaration. COVID-19 is endemic in the region and no longer reaches the threshold of the pandemic definition. Both standard and enhanced surveillance metrics confirm that the pandemic had transitioned to endemic by the time of the WHO declaration.