The biostatistics field combines the features of science and art to enable both professionals and the common audience to draw conclusions about risks, health conditions, and disease prognoses to impact their life. I have not been personally affected, but the application of theories and principles in biostatistics supports the general population in understanding and, eventually, overcoming multiple health issues, including infectious diseases and their essential complications.
One prominent example is the use of statistical data in comprehending the key symptoms of COVID-19, high-risk populations for this condition, complications, and neurologic manifestations, the effects of vaccination on disease incidence, and similar points of learning.
Biostatistics’ theoretical bases and theories, including the types of statistical data and probability theory, have been informing the global community of the new disease and how to overcome it. The preliminary statistics on disease incidence, including the prevalence of severe COVID-19 in older adults, individuals with chronic respiratory disease, ethnic minorities, and cardiovascular patients, have promoted vaccination recommendations.
The so-called conditional probability dictates that some individuals getting the COVID-19 infection will develop dangerous complications resulting in lethal outcomes. Therefore, preventing disease contraction as much as possible, especially among high-risk groups, has become the cornerstone of the nation’s anti-COVID policy. It gave rise to physical distancing interventions, mask-wearing and disinfection practices, and the popularization of remote work and learning.
The absence of longitudinal data pertaining to the effects of vaccination against COVID-19 can inspire certain cynicism about total mandatory vaccination. With the trust in longitudinal data, some criticize the existing vaccine trials for their insufficient data collection periods, thus promoting the long-term safety argument.
However, relying on the connection between sample size and research results’ credibility, accuracy, and generalizability, diverse countries’ healthcare authorities present large-scale COVID-19 vaccine trials with ethnically heterogeneous samples as evidence for the approved vaccines’ safety.