The privacy of personal information is aimed at protecting human rights both under the international human rights regime and the Saudi Arabian constitution and other statutes and regulations, subject only to some exceptions that include the protection of public health. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about certain challenges that necessitate strategies to augment the conventional surveillance of infectious diseases, contact tracing, isolation, reporting and vaccination. Several governments institutions, and agencies presently adopt mobile applications for collecting, analyzing, managing, and sharing critical personal data of individuals infected with or exposed to COVID-19. While the benefits of sharing private information for achieving public health needs may not be disputed, the risk of breach of personal privacy is enormous. This had forced the national governments into a dilemma of either succumbing to public health needs, strictly respecting and protecting the privacy of individuals, or alternatively, balancing the two conflicting demands. There is a massive body of literature on the security and privacy of such mobile applications, but none has adequately explored and discussed public interest justifications under Saudi Arabian laws for alleged privacy breaches. We examined the health surveillance mobile app technologies currently in use in Saudi Arabia with the aim of determining the potential risks of data breaches under extant data protection laws. The paper recommends, among others, that any potential risk of breach to right to privacy of personal information under the law must be (justified by) the public health needs to protect society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 is among the tremendous negative pandemics that have been recorded in human history. The study was conducted to give a breakdown of the effect of post-COVID-19 mental health among individuals residing in a developing country. The two scales, namely DASS-21 and IES-R, were employed to collect the essential related data. The findings indicated that anxiety was a typical and common mental issue among the population, including up to 56.75% of the participants having extremely severe anxiety, 13.18% reporting severe anxiety. Notably, no one has anxiety and depression under moderate levels. Additionally, there is 51.92% depression and 43.64% stress ranging from severe to extremely severe levels. Furthermore, there were significant statistical differences among the data on stress, anxiety, and depression according to gender (males and females) and subgroups (students, the elderly, and medical healthcare workers). Besides, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in the study was relatively high, especially when compared to the figures reported by the World Health Organization. Moreover, stress, anxiety, and depression all displayed positive correlations with post-traumatic stress disorder. This is big data on the mental health of the entire population that helps the country’s government propose policy strategies to support, medical care and social security for the population.

Technological advancements in genetic research are crucial for nations aiming to uplift their population’s quality of life and ensure a sustainable economy. Genomic information and biotechnology can enhance healthcare quality, outcomes, and affordability. The “P4 medicine approach”—predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory—aligns with objectives like promoting long-term well-being, optimizing resources, and reducing environmental impacts, all vital for sustainable healthcare. This paper highlights the importance of adopting the P4 approach extensively. It emphasizes the need to enhance healthcare operations in real-time and integrate cutting-edge genomic technologies. Eco-friendly designs can significantly reduce the environmental impact of healthcare. Additionally, addressing health disparities is crucial for successful healthcare reforms.

Background: Various studies have demonstrated the usefulness of Google search data for public health-monitoring systems. The aim of this study is to be estimated interest of public in infectious diseases in infectious diseases in South Korea, the five other countries. Methods: We conducted cross-country comparisons for queries related to the H1N1 virus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). We analyzed queries related to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from 20 January to 13 April 2020, and performed time-descriptive and correlation analyses on trend patterns. Results: Trends in H1N1, MERS-CoV, and COVID-19 queries in South Korea matched those in the five other countries and worldwide. The relative search volume (RSV) for the MERS-CoV virus increased as the cumulative number of confirmed cases in South Korea increased and decreased significantly as the number of confirmed cases decreased. The volume of COVID-19 queries dramatically increased as South Korea’s confirmed COVID-19 cases grew significantly at the community level. However, RSV remained stable over time. Conclusions: Google Trends provides real-time data based on search patterns related to infectious diseases, allowing for continuous monitoring of public reactions, disease spread, and changes in perceptions or concerns. We can use this information to adjust their strategies of the prevention of epidemics or provide timely updates to the public.

Low enrollment intention threatens the funding pools of rural insurance schemes in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to investigate how social capital enhances the enrollment of health insurance among rural middle-aged and elderly. We propose that social capital directly increases health insurance enrollment, while indirectly influences health insurance through health risk avoidance. We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (wave 4) dating the year of 2018, instrumental variable estimation was introduced to deal with the endogeneity problem, and the mediation analysis was used to examine the mechanism of social capital on insurance enrollment. The results show that social capital is positively related to social health insurance enrollment, and the relationship between social capital and social health insurance enrollment is mediated by health risk avoidance.