Investigating Epidemics like COVID-19: An Analyst's Guide (Coursera)

After taking this course you be able to define key terms related to outbreaks and describe how surveillance data are collected and analyzed to detect outbreaks. You will be able to create epidemic curves and draw conclusions about transmission and cause from the shape of the curve and median incubation period. You will be able to describe the steps to investigating outbreaks and use that knowledge to guide an outbreak investigation. Using statistical software or excel, you will be able to identify demographic and geographic disparities and key exposures, and to calculate secondary attack rates. You will be able to quantify associations between health outcomes and key exposures using odds ratios and confidence intervals and to interpret and use findings to inform public health responses.

What You Will Learn

- Conduct an outbreak investigation

- Create epidemic curves and draw conclusions about the cause of an outbreak from the shape of the curve and median incubation period

- Identify disparities and quantify associations between exposures and health outcomes and use findings to inform the public health response

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Introduction

WEEK 2: Public Health Surveillance

WEEK 3: Methods and Tools to Investigate Outbreaks

WEEK 4: Using your New Skills to Support Response to an Outbreak of COVID-19 in an Assisted Living Facility