Background: This study aims to investigate the mental health of COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out targeting confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Due to travel and time constraints as well as the accessibility of patients, cases were included from East Jeddah Hospital, King Abdulaziz Hospital, and the Oncology Center in Jeddah. The data were collected using a predesigned self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed COVID-19 cases, personal data, medical history, smoking, traveling abroad, and work-related conditions. Additionally, data regarding contact level with COVID-19 cases were considered. The mental health statuses of the patients were assessed using a validated Arabic version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale. The study included 261 COVID-19 patients whose ages ranged from 18 to 65 years. Results: The survey findings revealed that 13% of COVID-19 patients had a borderline level of anxiety, 26.8% were considered anxiety cases, while 60.2% were normal. The findings also revealed that 29.9% had a borderline level of depression, 18.4% were considered depression cases, while 51.7% were normal. Conclusions: This study concluded that COVID-19 patients experience anxiety and depression, and as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread, the results of the study are particularly useful in developing a strategy to psychologically support COVID-19 patients.

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that leads to significant mortality and morbidity. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest prevalences of thalassemia in the world, based on available data. The high prevalence in the country and the associated significant healthcare needs resulting from the disease certainly lead to major health costs, where there is currently a knowledge gap. This is a single-center, retrospective, prevalence-based, bottom-up approach to estimating the cost of illness for thalassemia major. Data on transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) patients were collected through medical health records at a tertiary center in Saudi Arabia between 2018 and 2022. Direct costs were calculated by summing up the unit costs of each intervention multiplied by the number of episodes. A total of 152 β-thalassemia major patients were eligible for our study. The mean age was 17 years, 49% of the patients were female, and 72% were expatriates. The direct cost of TDT was estimated at $28,097.24 per patient-year. Most of these expenses were directed toward regular transfusion services and medications, primarily driven by the cost of chelation agents. Based on the most recent data on the prevalence of thalassemia in the population, the annual cost of thalassemia in Saudi Arabia is estimated at $393.3 million. TDT imposes a significant cost burden in Saudi Arabia, and the cost is likely to be exponentially higher if indirect expenses are incorporated. Ongoing national efforts in premarital testing and genetic counseling are expected to help reduce these costs. Export