Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is currently a global threat to human population. The numbers of cases and deaths due to COVID-19 are escalating daily, putting health care systems worldwide under tremendous pressure. Policymakers in the affected countries have adopted varying strategies to deal with this crisis. As a result, the current COVID-19 status in terms of number of cases and deaths hugely varies between countries. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have managed to limit the massive spread of the infection among their populations by implementing proactive plans and timely decisions in response to COVID-19 outbreak; measures taken included suspension of flights, closure of educational institutes, curfew and lockdown of major cities, and provision of free-of-charge healthcare to patients. This review summarizes the COVID-19 status as of 18 May 2020 and highlights prevention and control measures applied in the GCC countries.

2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 由新型严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 引起，目前对人类构成全球性威胁。COVID-19 引起的病例和死亡人数每天都在增加，使全世界的医疗保健系统面临巨大压力。受影响国家的政策制定者采取了不同的策略来应对这场危机。因此，目前不同国家的 COVID-19 病例数和死亡人数存在巨大差异。海湾合作委员会 (GCC) 国家通过实施积极的计划和及时的决策来应对 COVID-19 的爆发，成功地限制了感染在其人口中的大规模传播；采取的措施包括暂停航班、关闭教育机构、实行宵禁和封锁主要城市，以及向患者提供免费医疗服务。本次审查总结了截至 2020 年 5 月 18 日的 COVID-19 状况，并重点介绍了海湾合作委员会国家采取的预防和控制措施。