Community Outbreak of COVID-19 in Fairfax County

Coronavirus Pandemic- Fairfax County
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Introduction
The world has had a series of dangerous epidemics and pandemics that have not only doomed whole civilizations but also affected the once powerful nations by disrupting their economies and killing millions of citizens. The pandemics include Spanish Flu, Influenza, Yellow Fever, Polio, Aids, Swine Flu, Ebola, Zika, and the most recent, Coronavirus. However, while these terrible disease outbreaks continue to threaten humanity, the advancement of epidemiology has mitigated the dire consequences. Hence, people today cannot suffer as their ancestors once did. This paper analyses the COVID-19 outbreak in Fairfax County, Virginia. Additionally, it discusses the risk factors of the Coronavirus outbreak, its impacts on system levels and their functioning, reporting protocols to be utilized by the county, and the strategies to curtail its rampant spread within the county. A comparison of the impacts of the virus on the functioning of the system levels of Fairfax County and Britain will also be included.
Community Outbreak of COVID-19 in Fairfax County
COVID-19 began as a community outbreak (a sudden rise in the number of active disease cases within a community) in Wuhan City but later spread to over 47 countries worldwide in weeks. The first confirmed Coronavirus case in the U.S. was reported on January 21, 2020. Over the year, three pandemic waves (spring, summer, and autumn waves) remained till 2021. The U.S. is among the countries that experienced the highest COVID-19-confirmed cases and deaths in 2021 (Pei et al., 2021).
Fairfax County borders both Arlington County and Alexandria, making it a suburban ring of Washington D.C. It is the most populated county in the state. Fairfax County is located in Virginia, which is situated in CDC Region B. Just like other cities within Virginia, Fairfax was not spared by the outbreak. The first Coronavirus-confirmed case in the county was reported on March 7, 2020. The county’s administration began to implement effective measures to contain virus’ spread. This included the closure of all parks, playgrounds, and other recreational centers by the Fairfax County Park Authority. On March 30, 2020, a stay-at-home order was issued by the governor to manage the transmission of the virus.
As of December 2020, Virginia had 242,489 cases and 4,113 deaths. By this time, Fairfax County was the most populated, recording over 350 COVID-19 cases daily. In total, the County has reported over 178,716 Coronavirus cases and 1476 Coronavirus deaths. Being a global pandemic, all countries in the world have been uniquely impacted by the outbreak. All the other 9 CDC regions, from A to J, were impacted by the Coronavirus in various capacities.
Risk Factors and Epidemiology Determinants Associated with Coronavirus
Various risk factors make individuals more prone to contracting the Coronavirus. CDC (2023) explains that demographic aspects (such as race, ethnicity, and age), underlying medical conditions, and being unvaccinated increase the risk of contracting COVID-19. Based on the data from NVSS (National Vital Statistics System), the risk of death of individuals aged 50-64...