Belfast Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. If period of observation is measured in years, formula becomes: Number of health events (heart attacks) observed during the 10-year period: 5, Incidence density = (5/461) x 100 = 1.08 per 100 person-years of observation. Turning to COVID-19, the prevalence of COVID-19 in Northern Ireland is the total number of active cases in the country at a specific time. If the incidence is high, the water will be gushing into the bathtub whereas if it’s low, water may enter the bathtub a drip at a time. The Relationship Between Incidence and Prevalence - YouTube
As we all know, this quantity is not static and we can easily add more water, by turning on the tap, as well as lose water through evaporation or by opening the plug. The incidence can be presented as a proportion, for example using the population as a denominator, or as a rate such as person-time, which requires individuals are followed up over time. In terms of COVID-19, the incidence can be observed using the number of positive cases identified using laboratory data. While it is relatively straightforward to identify new cases of disease (through laboratory testing), knowing if an individual is recovered is more challenging particularly for mild cases who self-manage their illness at home. BT2 8BS, ©2020 Public Health Agency
In the latest weekly report, as of 16 August 2020, the prevalence of active cases is estimated to be 31 per 100,000 population assuming 50% of cases have no symptoms. Incidence vs prevalence and the epidemiologist’s bathtub, Guidance for professionals and organisations, Resources for Councils and community responses to COVID-19, Information for schools, colleges and universities, COVID-19: Information for schools and pupils, Implementation of planned regular programme of COVID-19 testing in residential and nursing homes, COVID-19 in a business setting - a quick guide for employers, Contact Tracing Service - Management Information Update, Guidance for HSC staff, healthcare workers and care providers, Guidance for healthcare professionals, carers and care homes, What are our priorities and how we are doing, Public Health Agency Stakeholder Engagement – Alcohol and Drug Services, Building Community Capacity to Address Health Inequalities Across Northern Ireland, Modernising the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme, Modernising the diabetic eye screening programme, Consultation on the future of the Lifeline Crisis Intervention Service - NOW CLOSED, Consultation on support model for those bereaved by suicide, Consultation on Infant Mental Health Framework and Plan 2015-2018, Alcohol and Drug Commissioning Framework for Northern Ireland 2013-16, Disability Action Plan and Equality Action Plan, Cope with Confidence - survey of heart failure patient experience, Consultation for PPI Proposed Action Plan 2016-19, Consultation on Community Capacity Building under Mental & Emotional Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention, Consultation on the Lifeline Crisis Response Service, Consultation on Volunteering in Health and Social Care, Emergency preparedness/environmental hazards, Healthcare associated infections / antimicrobial resistance, Health protection improvement and inequalities, Immunisation/vaccine preventable diseases, Vaccine preventable diseases and Immunisation Programmes, Looking after vulnerable and elderly neighbours, Zoonoses (Infections acquired from animals). Turning back to our disease model, the filled bath represents the total number of cases at a point in time which can change (through evaporation or releasing the plug) as individuals recover from the disease or if they unfortunately pass away. Using this methodology, it is estimated the weekly incidence is actually 36 per 100,000 people in Northern Ireland (source: weekly bulletin up to 16 August 2020). 12-22 Linenhall Street Designed and produced by the Public Health Agency. Many terms that were unknown to the average person before 2020 have, through the COVID-19 pandemic, become commonplace.