Introduction
The collection of data by healthcare organizations may be regarded as an essential practice that enables the improvement of healthcare delivery and the development of efficient measures in response to health-related threats. In particular, analyzing available information helps define specific tendencies to consider when responding.
This paper addresses an organization responsible for gathering information to identify specific cases of people infected with a dangerous virus, and to allocate resources to areas that need them. It is possible to assume that data collection and analysis are essential for identifying trends that healthcare professionals should address to achieve effective treatment and prevention.
Cases by City
Top 5 Cities for Infected Cases
The top five cities with the most infected cases include Jacksonville, Miami, Phoenix, Austin, and Houston. In turn, the top five cities with the fewest number of infected cases include Indianapolis, Colorado Springs, Philadelphia, Virginia Beach, and Omaha.
Number of Cases
Jacksonville has 322 cases, Miami has 299, Phoenix has 289, Austin has 281, and Houston has 272. In turn, Indianapolis has 7 cases, Colorado Springs has 5, Philadelphia has 5, Virginia Beach has 4, and Omaha has 3.
Prevalence Rate
In evaluating the seriousness and spread of a disease, it is essential to consider its prevalence rate. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), prevalence is regarded as “the proportion of a population who have a specific characteristic in a given time period” (“What is prevalence?,” n.d., para. 1). For its estimation, researchers address a randomly selected group for the description of features peculiar to the entire population.
Therefore, prevalence is traditionally reported as a percentage or as the number of infection cases per 1,000 or 100,000 people (“What is prevalence?,” n.d.). Therefore, the highest and lowest prevalence rates per 100,000 people are 0.003 and 0.00003, respectively. The average infection rate across the country is 95 individuals per 100,000, with a prevalence rate of 0,0009.
Summary
Based on the visual representation of data on infected cases, it is evident that the virus’s spread is highly inhomogeneous across the country. In other words, while some cities exhibit high infection rates, others have almost no infected individuals. At the same time, it is essential to search for potential consistency in the number of infections per city to identify the factors that determine their occurrence. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (n.d.), “disease outbreaks are usually caused by an infection, transmitted through person-to-person contact, animal-to-person contact, or from the environment or other media” (para. 1).
Therefore, the population size is expected to affect the virus’s spread. However, the strength of this factor cannot be regarded as critical here, as all cities are either the capitals or large centers of their respective states; however, infection rates are irregular. At the same time, Valsamatzi-Panagiotou and Penchovsky (2022) identify additional factors, including temperature, humidity, air quality, food quality, water quality, vector presence, and people’s attitudes toward hand hygiene and other protective measures. In this case, the visual representation of the data provides more information about potential reasons for virus transmission.
First of all, all cities with the largest number of infected individuals are located in three states – Arizona, Texas, and Florida – characterized by hot climates. In turn, cities with the fewest infected people are located in the country’s midlands. Moreover, all cities with a significant number of infected people are in states that have a border with Mexico or large communities of immigrants from Latin America. Although additional research dedicated to the prevalence of infection based on race and ethnicity is required, available information may nevertheless provide insight into the origin of the virus.
Ages Impacted
Most Affected
For a more comprehensive, accurate, and in-depth analysis of the factors and spread of the virus, the visual representation of age groups affected by it should be evaluated in conjunction with data on rates by city. In general, a bar graph indicates that the age groups most affected by the disease are those under 18 and over 60 – in other words, children and seniors are the most vulnerable population groups. At the same time, it is impossible to define consistency in the virus’s spread across age groups based on cities’ locations. Thus, in cities with the highest and lowest prevalence rates, children, seniors, or both are most affected.
Least Affected
Individuals aged 19 to 30 constitute the least affected population group in all cities. However, regarding individuals aged 31-60, the data may be somewhat controversial. On the one hand, this group cannot be regarded as predominantly affected, as in the majority of cities, the number of infected children and seniors is substantially higher.
On the other hand, in some cities, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Kansas City, the infection rate among adults is as high as that among the most affected population groups. In Oakland and San Francisco, there are more infected adults than seniors. It goes without saying that this tendency requires additional research on the peculiar features of locations.
Prevalence Rate
As previously mentioned, the prevalence may be reported as a percentage. Therefore, among the total number of infected individuals (4,952 cases), 2,089 cases among children constitute 42% of all cases, 1,731 cases among seniors constitute 35% of all cases, and 323 and 809 cases among younger and older adults, respectively, constitute 7% and 16% of all cases.
Summary
In general, the visual representation of data on impacted ages did not yield highly controversial or surprising results. The vulnerability of children is determined by the immaturity of their immune systems, which cannot protect them effectively against dangerous viruses and infections (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2022). Moreover, they are exposed to infections to a greater extent than adults due to more frequent contact with the environment and an inability to consistently follow health safety directions.
The prevalence of infection cases among seniors may also be understandable. According to Mueller et al. (2020), during the coronavirus pandemic, “adults over 65 years of age represent 80% of hospitalizations and have a 23-fold greater risk of death than those under 65” (p. 9959). Seniors are exposed to the general decline in health and bodily functions that is a natural consequence of aging. Moreover, they frequently have a considerable number of comorbidities that aggravate the seriousness of the infection and may lead to tragic outcomes (Mueller et al., 2020).
Therefore, analyzing a bar graph allows for identifying the most affected population groups, providing insight into the virus’s characteristics, comparing them with previously identified infections, and developing adequate, responsive measures. At the same time, additional research may be required to identify the factors that affect infection rates among individuals aged 31-60, as some cities show inconsistent virus spread.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the hypothesis—that data analysis is essential for identifying actionable health trends—was confirmed through bar graphs. The analysis specifically showed that cities with the highest number of infected individuals are concentrated in hot climates and are characterized by large Latin American populations.
This information is beneficial for initiating additional research that may uncover the primary factor in the dissemination of infection, as well as the virus’s origin. In addition, further studies are needed to identify the factors contributing to the inconsistency in the prevalence of infection among individuals aged 31-60 across the country.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2022). A child’s health is the public’s health. CDC.
Mueller, A. L., McNamara, M. S., & Sinclair, D. A. (2020). Why does COVID-19 disproportionately affect older people? Aging (Albany NY), 12(10), 9959-9981.
Valsamatzi-Panagiotou, A., & Penchovsky, R. (2022). Environmental factors influencing the transmission of the coronavirus 2019: A review. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 20(3), 1603-1610.
What is prevalence? (n.d.). National Institute of Mental Health (NIH).
World Health Organization (WHO). (n.d.). Disease outbreaks. WHO.