Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

August 15, 2022

16/08/2022

Scripps Research scientists identify how SARS-CoV-2 spreads in the Middle East Findings highlight biases in viral sampling and urgent need for better global health infrastructure.

August 15, 2022

LA JOLLA, CA Understanding the global transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is critical for rapidly containing and handling the virus, especially as new variants and mutations of concern emerge. Certain regions in the world, including the Middle East and Northern Africa region, have been notoriously understudied and under-sampled. For the first time, Scripps Research scientists and collaborators unveil how the virus spreads in this region to better understand the unique ways that infectious disease threats arise and evolve in the Middle East.

The findings, published on August 15, 2022, in Nature Communications, showed that the strong regional connectivity of the Middle East drove both introduction risk and export risk of the virus events that mainly stemmed from land-based travel while air travel restrictions were in place. The discoveries highlight the importance of improved pandemic surveillance infrastructure across the entire globe, especially given that transmission dynamics have been obscured by uneven sampling.

Before the study, it wasn't entirely clear what was driving transmission dynamics in the Middle East, or how these relationships were changing over time in response to measures such as border closures and lockdowns, says Kristian Andersen, PhD, a co- author of the study and a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research. Our findings illuminate these drivers, and more importantly, the policies that will be helpful in mitigating the virus in this specific part of the world.

The study focused on Jordan, due to its central geography and tight sociopolitical, cultural and economic ties with other countries in the Middle East. From March to September 2020, Jordan banned all non-essential air travel in an effort to mitigate the viral spread, while also implementing a two-week-long quarantine for those who did enter the country.

Working hand-in-hand with Issa Abu-Dayyeh, PhD, senior author of the study and head of immunology and research at Biolab Diagnostic Laboratories in Jordan, the researchers integrated genomic, epidemiological and travel data to reveal the key drivers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from March 2020 to May 2021. They found that regional connectivity was a considerable driver of viral transmission, given that 85% of incoming air passengers from March to early September 2020 were from other countries in the Middle East.

Land-based travel was also a big culprit for introducing new strains of the virus into the country, especially from freight transport. While private land-based travel was limited, incoming truck volume recovered to pre-pandemic levels from July 2020 onwards suggesting this is where viral introduction stemmed from. Similarly, they also discovered that land travel drove Jordan's exportation of the virus to other surrounding countries.

However, once travel restrictions were lifted in September 2020, viral introductions were then attributed mainly to air travel once again, as evidenced by non-Middle Eastern air travel increasing from 15 to 25% of total volume.

Our findings underscore that travel restrictions centered solely around air travel are not enough to effectively curb the virus. Strategies to slow viral spread should also manage risk from land-based travel including commercial transport especially in a region as interconnected as the Middle East, says Abu-Dayyeh.

While the results were largely in line with the researchers' initial hypotheses, the findings did emphasize a stark point: the need for improved surveillance infrastructure across the world, which would help maintain public health efforts and mitigate outbreaks quickly.

Without robust efforts across all major global regions, we all become that much more vulnerable to the spread of the virus, says Edyth Parker, PhD, first author of the study and a postdoctoral associate in the Andersen lab.

Parker notes that with the world being so vulnerably connected as it is today, an equitable surveillance system is necessary to closely monitor and catch new variants as they arise. She urges that maintaining a local testing capacity is critical for following not only the virus, but other public health threats as well.

If a certain area is dependent on another for tracking transmission dynamics, that severely limits how quickly and as a result, how well we can perform our public health efforts, Parker adds.

Through the collaboration, Biolab Diagnostic Laboratories is now independently driving SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in Jordan and the broader Middle East. The researchers will continue examining regional variants and immune dynamics there, as well as continue bolstering their public health response to track additional infectious diseases that pose serious threats to the world.

In addition to Andersen, Abu-Dayyeh and Parker, additional authors of the study, Regional connectivity drove bidirectional transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the Middle East during travel restrictions, include Catelyn Anderson, Mark Zeller, Refugio Robles-Sikisaka, Alaa Abdel Latif, Karthik Ramesh, Ezra Kurzban, Nathaniel L. Matteson, Laura D. Hughes, Michelle McGraw and Shirlee Wohl of Scripps Research; Ahmad Tibi and Amid Abdelnour of Biolab Diagnostic Laboratories; Jennifer Havens and Joel O. Wertheim of UCSD; Genevi ve Laroche, Mehdi Benlarbi, Ardeshir Ariana and Marceline C t of the University of Ottawa; Alexander Watts and Kamran Khan of Bluedot; Abdalla Awidi of the University of Jordan; Saied A. Jaradat of Jordan University of Science and Technology; Karthik Gangavarapu and Marc A. Suchard of UCLA; Alvin X. Han of University of Amsterdam; and Emily Spencer and Laura Nichols
LINK: https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2022/20220815-ander...
See more stories from scripps

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

09/04/2026

Yospace surpasses 10 billion ads stitched in a single month, as ad-supported streaming surges

Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 09, April, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dynam...

09/04/2026

just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026 Sneak Preview News for NAB 2026

just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026 Sneak Preview News for NAB 2026 More Details:At NAB 2026, ToolsOnAir will showcase just:play pro 2026 and just:live p...

09/04/2026

just:in mac pro 2026 - The Next Level of Professional Recording on macOS at NAB 2026

just:in mac pro 2026 - The Next Level of Professional Recording on macOS at NAB ...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Zixi to Demonstrate Live Video Workflows and Satellite Replacement

Zixi will demonstrate IP-based live video workflow solutions at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2057). The industry is moving quickly toward IP-based distribution as br...

09/04/2026

Deloitte Research: Women's Elite Sports Revenues Expected to Reach at Least $3 Billion in 2026

Global women's elite sports revenues are expected to reach at least $3 billi...

09/04/2026

Monitor Engineer Gavin Tempany Mixes Kylie Minogue's Tension Tour on Solid State Logic L550 Plus

Monitor engineer Gavin Tempany mixed Kylie Minogue s Tension Tour on a Solid Sta...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America to Debut New 4K Camera and Remote Control Panel

KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5507), debu...

09/04/2026

NBC Sports Reviews Innovations and Milestones from Its 2025-26 NBA Regular Season

With the 2025-26 NBA regular season concluded and the playoffs beginning next we...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telestream and Mimir Announce Integration for Ingest-to-Editorial Workflows

Telestream and Mimir have announced an integration connecting Telestream's V...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Bitmovin Expands Live Encoding and Observability Solutions for End-to-End Live Streaming Monitoring

Bitmovin has expanded its Live Encoding and Observability solutions to provide r...

09/04/2026

Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Agreement

The Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports have announced a multi-year media rights agreement covering local preseason, regular season, and first-round playoff ...

09/04/2026

ASG Partners with Beam Dynamics for Asset Intelligence Platform

Advanced Systems Group, LLC has announced a partnership with Beam Dynamics to offer the Beam Asset and License Intelligence Platform to its clients. The platfor...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Lawo Introduces Edge One Converged Video and Audio Stagebox

Lawo has unveiled Edge One, a combined video and audio stagebox for broadcast and Pro AV workflows. The device will be on display at NAB Show (Booth C2108, Apri...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: SMPTE to Host ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) will host the SMPTE ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the Las Vegas Conven...

09/04/2026

Atlanta Braves Upgrade Video Displays at Truist Park

The Atlanta Braves have completed upgrades to video displays in and around Truist Park ahead of the 2026 MLB season. The upgrades include the Delta Out-of-Town ...

09/04/2026

USC Installs Daktronics LED Displays Across Four Athletics Venues

The University of Southern California has contracted Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota, to manufacture and install 22 LED displays across fou...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Backlight to Showcase Iconik and Wildmoka Integration

Backlight, the media technology company behind Iconik and Wildmoka, will showcase its Creative Operations Platform at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2829, April 19-22). ...

09/04/2026

MotoAmerica Superbike to Air on VICE TV for 2026 Season

MotoAmerica and V10 Entertainment have announced a partnership to broadcast MotoAmerica Superbike racing on VICE TV for the 2026 season. Coverage begins live on...

09/04/2026

Proton Camera Innovations Appoints Tod Musgrave as US Sales and Marketing Director

Proton Camera Innovations has announced the appointment of Tod Musgrave as US Sa...

09/04/2026

Former UEFA, Orange Executive Nicolas Dal Launches OVERCAST Private-Cloud Production Service

Designed specifically for live sports broadcasting, new platform features IP-nat...

09/04/2026

NEWstalgia: How the Return of the NBA on NBC Was Driven by a Bold and Ownable' Graphics Package

Blending 1990s DNA, modern motion theory, and a distinctly colorful brand identi...

09/04/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Christy Media's Amy Vacher on What It Takes To Find the Best Person for the Job

Technical capability is essential, but long-term success often depends on how we...

09/04/2026

Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2026 by Cinpolis Unveils Official Program for Its Third Edition

15 feature films, including fiction and documentaries, along with six short film...

09/04/2026

Spotify Introduces New Video Controls for Listeners

Spotify has always been about putting listeners in the driver's seat. Today, people don't just want more ways to spend their time; they want that time t...

09/04/2026

New Spotify Video Controls Put Families and Parents in Charge

Our Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins shares how we're building a more positive experience for families on Spotify. As Spotify's Chief Public...

09/04/2026

Get Festival-Ready With These 4 Spotify Features

Festival season is upon us. From sun-soaked weekends out west to iconic stages in Chicago and New York, fans are getting ready to see their favorite artists liv...

09/04/2026

Spotify Introduz Novos Controles de Vdeo para Ouvintes

O Spotify sempre teve como foco colocar os ouvintes no controle. Hoje, as pessoas n o querem apenas mais formas de passar o tempo - elas querem que esse tempo s...

09/04/2026

Novos controles de vdeo do Spotify colocam pais e famlias no comando

Read the original note in English here. Nossa Chief Public Affairs Officer, Dustee Jenkins, compartilha como estamos construindo uma experi ncia mais positiva ...

09/04/2026

Spaces from Smokestack Sounds

New synth focuses on sci-fi scoring Following their formation and debut releases in December 2025, Smokestack Sounds - the brainchild of composer and produc...

09/04/2026

Reason Studios preview Reason 14

Latest version set for May 2026 launch Reason Studios have revealed that the latest version of their DAW software will be launching in May 2026. Currently a...

09/04/2026

Shy Audio introduce EQT-1M

New EQ aimed at mix-bus & mastering duties Shy Audio's first two releases focused on the past, delivering recreations of the budget mixers that were com...

09/04/2026

PBS' The Forsytes' Puts a Glamorous New Spin on the Beloved Family Drama as the series premieres in the US.

Based on John Galsworthy's novels known collectively as The Forsyte Saga a...

09/04/2026

The Forsytes' Renewed For Season 3 At PBS Masterpiece

The Forsytes has been renewed for a third season before the period drama has even premiered on PBS Masterpiece. The adaptation of John Galsworthy's novel, ...

09/04/2026

BBC brings Danny Robins The Witch Farm to the screen Inspired by the hit podcast of the same name, filming begins soon

IThe BBC has commissioned new drama The Witch Farm, starring Gabrielle Creevy (T...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026 Major Announcement

The next big thing To help broadcasters fully embrace dynamic hybrid workflows, Calrec will make a major announcement that unlocks even more freedom for broadca...

09/04/2026

ENCO to Showcase New aiTrack Capabilities at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

LTN Unveils Network Enhancements in Advance of C-Band Changes

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

FOR-A Buys Tamura Corp. Information Equipment Business

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

Imagine Showcases Expanded Multiviewer Portfolio at 2026...

Purpose Built Monitoring From Live Production to Master Control to OTT, Across On Prem and Cloud Environments At the 2026 NAB Show (April 19-22, Las Vegas Con...

09/04/2026

Harmonic Extends Hybrid Streaming Leadership with AI and...

Purpose Built Monitoring From Live Production to Master Control to OTT, Across On Prem and Cloud Environments At the 2026 NAB Show (April 19-22, Las Vegas Con...

09/04/2026

LTN unveils network enhancements as broadcaster satellite...

New advances meet surge in demand for broadcast-grade IP migration as C-band spectrum auctions approach LTN announces major enhancements to its purpose-built g...

09/04/2026

Hitomi Broadcast Expands Sales Team with Nicola Milburn

Hitomi Broadcast has expanded its sales team with the addition of Nicola Milburn as Technical Sales Manager. In this role, Nicola will work with customers and p...

09/04/2026

Layercake and Ceeblue Announce Strategic Integration to D...

Revolutionary combined solution brings sub-second latency, resilient delivery, and workflow orchestration to global broadcasters and digital platforms Layercak...

09/04/2026

BIA Increases 2026 Local Ad Forecast to $184.5 Billion

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...