How the Middle East is facing COVID-19

The rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across the Middle East countries dictates different preparedness and response plans implemented locally. We aim to emphasize the unique challenges during fighting this pandemic in the region and take the opportunity to enumerate, evaluate, and illustrate the effort done by various countries in this regard. The Middle East region is geographically, politically, economically, and religiously a susceptible area, with very different health-care infrastructures, which imposes unique challenges for effective control of this pandemic. These challenges include compromised health-care systems, prolonged regional conflicts, wars and humanitarian crises, suboptimal cooperation levels, and frequent religious gatherings. These factors are interrelated and collectively influence the response to the pandemic in this region. Here, we extensively emphasize these challenges and take measures toward mitigating the spread of COVID-19.