A search was undertaken in Franklin County, Columbus, Ohio, which found COVID-19 was the main cause of morbidity and mortality in 2020. According to Ohio Department of Health data, there were 2,832 COVID-19-related fatalities in Franklin County in 2020, accounting for 6.89% of all the COVID-19 fatalities in Ohio that year (Tracking coronavirus in Franklin County, 2023). The findings include the epidemiological course of COVID-19, its impact, interventions, and the significance of surveillance data.
The epidemiological triangle is a valuable foundation for explaining COVID-19 epidemiology. In this situation, the host is any person who can acquire the disease. People of all ages can suffer from coronavirus, although the elderly, people with chronic disease or immune disorders are at higher risk. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent, and it disperses through an airborne route when a COVID-19-positive person talks, coughs, or sneezes. Environmental variables that contributed to the spread of COVID-19 include indoor environments, high humidity and temperature, and UV light exposure.
From the population-focused perspective, the pandemic’s impact was seen in the large number of people who became ill and were hospitalized. The burden of sickness is not fairly distributed across the community, with certain subgroups, like the elderly and those with underlying health issues. It has also resulted in a considerable number of deaths among the population. The commutable disease caused several disruptions to daily life, including closing schools, business closures, and restrictions on social events, among other things.
The first intervention category is primary preventative techniques, which include promoting, and pushing COVID-19 immunization, supporting physical separation and mask use, and encouraging regular hand washing and pulmonary hygiene practices. These primary interventions revolve around controlling and managing the environment variables. According to Stanhope & Lancaster (2015), making communities conscious of environmental impact on health and assisting in making necessary changes are legitimate nursing actions. Secondary prevention includes COVID-19 testing to detect and isolate sick persons such as contact tracing. Tertiary preventive techniques include giving patients comprehensive care and treatment, psychological support, and recovery and rehabilitation assistance. Finally, epidemiological health data surveillance can promote population health by forecasting the spread and outbursts of disease.Furthermore, it helps the officials to effectively predict and allocate the resources required for the strategic interventions. The data can also be used to identify the most vulnerable population and implement relevant interventions for disease prevention.
References
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2015). Community/public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations. Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. Web.
Tracking coronavirus in Franklin County, Ohio: Latest map and case count. (2023). The New York Times. Web.