The COVID-19 pandemic

The latest research and updates about the novel coronavirus pandemic provided by Nature Middle East.

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COVID-19 death toll gleaned from alternative data sources

Analysis of burial records, satellite images and social media helps make up for missing data in low-resource countries.

13 June 2023


Mapping the body’s response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccination

Insights into how the body responds to two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine could guide future uses.

11 November 2022


Building trust and global cooperation is critical to halting COVID-19 threat

A multinational panel calls for coordinated global action to strengthen healthcare infrastructures to end the pandemic.

3 November 2022


UV forecasts could predict COVID-19 spread

Higher UV radiation was linked to lower case numbers. 

21 September 2022


Counting orphaned children after the pandemic

Poverty, non-communicable diseases and low vaccination rates increase the risk of children being orphaned due to COVID-19 deaths.

31 August 2022


Artificial intelligence reveals COVID-19 lung damage

Scientists use AI to enhance the resolution of lung abnormalities in CT scans.

1 June 2022


Getting a handle on the pandemic’s true toll

An analysis reveals that COVID-19’s toll may have been greatly underestimated, including in the Middle East, where epidemiological monitoring efforts have generally fallen short.

4 April 2022


Jordan’s displaced adolescents face difficult times

Surveys have revealed the grave effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the displaced and vulnerable young people in Jordan.

3 February 2022


Testing Arab attitudes towards COVID vaccines

Around two-thirds of survey respondents from Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian West Bank were unwilling or hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination.

14 December 2021


Transistors spot single SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins

A new sensor, based on organic transistors, combines speed and accuracy in detecting single-molecule antigens belonging to the viruses that cause COVID-19 and MERS.

2 June 2021


A shared platform for communicating bioethics concepts

A universal language for describing bioethical principles could support clinical research for COVID-19 and other medical conditions.

26 May 2021


Egypt’s SARS-CoV-2 sequencing challenges

Researchers in countries like Egypt require more centralized support for their sequencing efforts.

7 May 2021


Grant supports Saudi infectious disease research

Despite the importance of studying epidemics in their local contexts, funding challenges continue to affect researchers across the region.

28 April 2021


COVID-19 significantly disrupts childhood cancer care

The long-term impacts of the pandemic on childhood cancer outcomes are not yet clear

11 March 2021


The cost of vaccine inequality

Vast economic gaps and conflicts are behind large inequities in vaccine distribution among Arab populations.

3 March 2021


COVID-19: Tracker gathers genomes to monitor mutations

An online tool for exploring all the SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced so far will help researchers stay ahead of new variants.

19 February 2021


COVID-19 vaccines: Infographic overview

The COVID-19 vaccines continue a long history of saving lives and keeping people healthy.

25 January 2021


COVID-19 exposes deep inequalities

The pandemic is developing into a human rights crisis for minorities, migrant workers, refugees and internally displaced persons in the Middle East and across the globe.

1 December 2020


Lebanon’s researchers face tough choices

Concurrent national crises have backed scientists into a corner.

14 October 2020


Charting the UAE’s battle against COVID-19

Muriel T. Zaatar, assistant professor of biology at University of Balamand Dubai, outlines the UAE’s efforts to protect its population against the spread of COVID-19, and how to gauge its success.

7 August 2020


Egypt’s health system problems laid bare

The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing broader attention to the longstanding ailments of Egypt’s medical profession.

3 July 2020



COVID-19 Middle East Map

Weekly updated World Health Organization figures on COVID-19 cases and deaths within the Arab region.

18 June 2020


Arab healthcare innovation responds to pandemic

Arab entrepreneurs are tackling the pandemic head-on with artificial intelligence, telehealth, 3D-printed ventilator parts, and contact tracing apps.

12 June 2020


Arab institutions ramp up COVID-19 research

Researchers in Arab institutions have joined the global effort to understand, monitor, test and control the spread of COVID-19.

4 June 2020


Stricter control of wildlife trade needed to reduce virus risk

COVID-19 has put the illegal wildlife trade under the spotlight by highlighting the threat posed to human health.

11 May 2020


A silver lining for research at a time of pandemic

Scientists are using time away from their labs to dig deeply into their data.

6 April 2020


Providing context for COVID-19 numbers in the Arab region

Nature Middle East asked Ghina Mumtaz1 , an epidemiologist working in Lebanon, about the spread of COVID-19 in the Arab region.

3 April 2020


Syria reports first COVID-19 case

Syria has confirmed its first case of COVID-19 sparking new concerns for a country with a crumbling healthcare system.

25 March 2020


Refugees and displaced highly vulnerable to COVID-19

Humanitarian actors across the region are scrambling to ensure the most vulnerable are not left behind as spread of COVID-19 continues unabated.

18 March 2020


Arab countries brace against COVID-19

Across the region, an increasing number of COVID-19 cases are being confirmed as the region takes measures to curb the spread of the virus.

17 March 2020


Arab country resources on COVID-19

Residents in Arab countries can find local instructions and guidance regarding COVID-19 on the following websites.

17 March 2020