International Journal of Healthcare Sciences ISSN 2348-5728 (Online) Vol. 10, Issue 2, pp: (147-153), Month: October 2022 - March 2023, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
Providing pharmacy services during the coronavirus pandemic in Saudi Arabia Saad khalaf alshammari*1, Ahmed Masoud AL-Qahtani2, Ahmed Mazi Alotaibi3, Naif Ahmad Alzahrani4, Emad Ahmed Alzahrani5, Susan Abdulqader Alkhulaif6, Waleed farah alharbi7, Salem ahmad albraiki8, Awad ghalab almuteiri9, Nawaf Ateya Alzahrani10 1*
Corresponding Author, Pharmacist, King Abdelaziz Medical city, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2 3
Assistant pharmacist, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 4
Senior pharmacist, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 5
6
9
Pharmacist, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Pharmacist, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Senior pharmacist, Inventory control auditor, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 7
Pharmacist, King Abdulaziz Medical city, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
8
Pharmacist, King Abdulaziz Medical city, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
pharmacy technician, General Administration of Health Services(medevac), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 10
Pharmacist, Riyadh Health cluster one, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7371179
Published Date: 28-November-2022
Abstract: On March 2, 2020, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirmed its first case of the emerging coronavirus strain that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Shortly thereafter, the number of confirmed cases nationwide began to rise. Since the looming outbreak, all healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, began to work at maximum capacity and effort. The Saudi Society of Clinical Pharmacy (SSCP) recognizes the significant impact pharmacists can have during outbreaks. Based on the scientific evidence available during this outbreak, the SSCP set up an expert working group to conceptualize and draft proposed recommendations that highlight the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists during epidemics and pandemics. The SSCP working group made 28 recommendations. In addition to national and institutional guidelines, these recommendations could serve as guidance for affected entities. Keywords: Pandemic, COVID-19, Pharmacist, Saudi Arabia.
I. INTRODUCTION In December 2019, an alarming epidemic of unexplained etiology happened in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China (Cucinotta and Vanelli, 2020). The World Health Organization (WHO) defined the extreme acute breathing syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV- 2) because the infective agent, inflicting the coronavirus sickness 2019 (COVID-19). The WHO categorized COVID-19 as a virulent disease at the eleventh of March 2020. (Cucinotta and Vanelli, 2020). Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) took numerous proactive preemptive measures to restriction the unfold of the outbreak (Yezli and Khan, 2020). For instance, at the twenty seventh of February 2020, KSA declared that it'd straight away droop access for people wishing to behavior spiritual activates (Barry et al., 2020). Moreover, at the eighth of March, the Saudi Ministry of Education introduced the suspension of the educational 12 months and closure of colleges and universities. On the 20 th of March, the Ministry of the Interior halted home and global transportation channels and a curfew turned into imposed from
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