Rates help us compare between populations. Rates can be expressed in different ways from per 100, per 1,000 or per 100,000. One big component of public health is looking at disparity of services, health outcome disparity and people disproportionately impacted. In the end rates, help us make comparisons.
A great course on the basic of epidemiology and COVID-19
A great free course by Johns Hopkins on the basics of COVID-19 and concepts. It is self paced and open to the public for free. For all those who really want to understand what is an Epi curve, what is an infectious disease, what is a reproductive number to why incubation periods matter...