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Background: There exists a gap in our understanding of the age-dependent epidemiological dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 among school-age children in comparison to adults within the State of Qatar. Additionally, there has been limited assessment of the timely implementation of physical distancing interventions, notably national school closures, and their impact on infection trends. Methods: We used the national database to capture all records of polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) testing, and rapid antigen tests (RAT) conducted at all health care venues in Qatar and administered between August 26, 2020, and August 21, 2022, across all age groups (≥ 5 years old). Study participants under 18 years old were categorized into two age brackets: (5–11) and (12–17), aligning with the Primary and Preparatory/Secondary grade levels in Qatar, respectively. We assessed age group testing rates, incidence rates, and positivity rates in relation to adults. These epidemiological metrics were compared with the CDC's thresholds for COVID-19 community transmission. Results: Throughout the school years of 2020–2021 and 2021–2022, a total of 5,063,405 and 6,130,531 tests were respectively conducted. In the 2020–2021 school year, 89.6% of the tests were administered to adults, while 13.7% were conducted on children in the following year. The overall test positivity rates for the 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 school years were 5.8% and 8.1%, respectively. Adolescents underwent the fewest tests during the full study period compared to both adults and young children. Using the CDC indicators, we found that children and adolescents can significantly contribute to elevated infection rates, potentially driving community transmission upon relaxation of social restrictions. Conclusion: It is crucial to acknowledge the potential for higher transmission among youth and adolescents when formulating transmission control strategies and making decisions regarding school closures. Employing data-driven indicators and thresholds to monitor COVID-19 community levels is important for informing decision-making. These approaches also enable the prompt implementation of infection control transmission mitigation measures in future pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2021, Qatar launched the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine campaign for adolescents aged 12 to 15 years across all 27 health centers. Our study assessed the safety and efficacy of the vaccine among vaccinated and nonvaccinated adolescents in Qatar. Using a retrospective observational study, we analyzed the medical records of 1956 adolescents who were severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive from June 17 to December 17, 2021. The mean age for the vaccinated group was 13.89 ± 0.93 years, and for the nonvaccinated group, it was 12.99 ± 0.93 years. In the vaccinated group, 46% were male (n = 185) compared with 53% in the nonvaccinated group (n = 827) and 54% were female in the vaccinated group (n = 217) versus 47% in the nonvaccinated group (n = 727). Our findings demonstrate satisfactory protection provided by the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, with only one fifth of the study population contracting SARS-CoV-2 infections after the double-dose regimen. These results highlight the importance of maximizing vaccination coverage and considering booster doses for adolescents to enhance protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To predict the future health and economic burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Qatar. Materials and Methods: A dynamic multistate model was designed to simulate the progression of fatal and non‐fatal CVD events among people with T2D in Qatar aged 40‐79 years. First CVD events [i.e. myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke] were calculated via the 2013 Pooled Cohort Equation, while recurrent CVD events were sourced from the REACH registry. Key model outcomes were fatal and non‐fatal MI and stroke, years of life lived, quality‐adjusted life years, total direct medical costs and total productivity loss costs. Utility and cost model inputs were drawn from published sources. The model adopted a Qatari societal perspective. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of estimates. Results: Over 10 years among people with T2D, model estimates 108 195 [95% uncertainty interval (UI) 104 249‐112 172] non‐fatal MIs, 62 366 (95% UI 60 283‐65 520) non‐fatal strokes and 14 612 (95% UI 14 472‐14 744) CVD deaths. The T2D population accrued 4 786 605 (95% UI 4 743 454, 4 858 705) total years of life lived and 3 781 833 (95% UI 3 724 718‐3 830 669) total quality‐adjusted life years. Direct costs accounted for 57.85% of the total costs, with a projection of QAR41.60 billion (US$11.40 billion) [95% UI 7.53‐147.40 billion (US$2.06‐40.38 billion)], while the total indirect costs were expected to exceed QAR30.31 billion (US$8.30 billion) [95% UI 1.07‐162.60 billion (US$292.05 million‐44.55 billion)]. Conclusions: The findings suggest a significant economic and health burden of CVD among people with T2D in Qatar and highlight the need for more enhanced preventive strategies targeting this population group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a paucity of evidence about the prevalence and risk factors for symptomatic infection among children. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its risk factors in children and adolescents aged 0-18 years in Qatar. We conducted a cross-sectional study of all children aged 0-18 years diagnosed with COVID-19 using polymerase chain reaction in Qatar during the period 1st March to 31st July 2020. A generalised linear model with a binomial family and identity link was used to assess the association between selected factors and the prevalence of symptomatic infection. A total of 11 445 children with a median age of 8 years (interquartile range (IQR) 3-13 years) were included in this study. The prevalence of symptomatic COVID-19 was 36.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 35.7-37.5), and it was similar between children aged <5 years (37.8%), 5-9 years (34.3%) and 10 + years (37.3%). The most frequently reported symptoms among the symptomatic group were fever (73.5%), cough (34.8%), headache (23.2%) and sore throat (23.2%). Fever (82.8%) was more common in symptomatic children aged <5 years, while cough (38.7%) was more prevalent in those aged 10 years or older, compared to other age groups. Variables associated with an increased risk of symptomatic infection were; contact with confirmed cases (RD 0.21; 95% CI 0.20-0.23; P = 0.001), having visited a health care facility (RD 0.54; 95% CI 0.45-0.62; P = 0.001), and children aged under 5 years (RD 0.05; 95% CI 0.02-0.07; P = 0.001) or aged 10 years or older (RD 0.04; 95% CI 0.02-0.06; P = 0.001). A third of the children with COVID-19 were symptomatic with a higher proportion of fever in very young children and a higher proportion of cough in those between 10 and 18 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In recent decades, clinical research has seen significant advancements, both in the generation and synthesis of evidence through meta-analyses. Despite these methodological advancements, there is a growing concern about the accumulation of repetitive and redundant literature, potentially contributing to research waste. This highlights the necessity for a mechanism to determine when a meta-analysis has conclusively addressed a research question, signaling no further need for additional studies-a concept we term an "exit" meta-analysis., Methods: We introduced a convergence index, the Doi-Abdulmajeed Trial Stability (DAts) index, and a convergence plot to determine the exit status of a meta-analysis. The performance of DAts was examined through simulation and applied to two real-world meta-analyses., Results: The DAts index and convergence plot demonstrate highly effective discriminative ability across varying study scenarios. This represents the first attempt to define an exit meta-analysis using a quantitative measurement of stability (as opposed to sufficiency) and its corresponding plot. The application to real-world scenarios further validated the utility of DAts and the convergence plot in identifying a conclusive (exit) meta-analyses., Conclusion: The new development of DAts and the convergence plot provide a promising tool for investigating the conclusiveness of meta-analyses. By identifying an exit status for meta-analysis, the scientific community may be equipped to make better-informed decisions on the continuation of research on a specific topic, thereby preventing research waste and focusing efforts on areas with unresolved questions., Competing Interests: SAD is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for JBI Evidence Synthesis, but was not involved in the editorial processing of the manuscript. The other authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 JBI.)