Real-Life Math
You are a family physician who has just completed residency training. You've been accepted into a group medical clinic in a small town and have been practicing there for one full week.
The town where you're working isn't exactly big. In fact, there's only one medical clinic and you're working in it. However, there is a hospital about 50 miles away where people can go if there is an emergency.
On Monday morning, about 7:30 a.m., you arrive at the clinic to begin your day. By 8 a.m., there have already been 3 people in, all concerned about a flu virus that has hit the next town.
By 8:30 a.m., another 5 have been in and by 9 a.m., the waiting area is full. You and the other 2 doctors are busy reassuring people that the flu virus can usually be prevented if they choose to receive a flu shot.
By noon, it seems half the town has been in the clinic to get information on the flu virus. Many have decided to get a flu shot, which has put a drain on the office's supply of medicine.
At day's end, you check to see how much vaccine is left in the office. Not surprisingly, you're almost out. After informing the other doctors of the supply situation, one of them tells you to place a rush order.
You'll need to determine how many more patients will be requesting a flu shot, and how much vaccine each patient will require.
After looking over the patient records at the end of the day, you can see that 50 patients have already been vaccinated. The remaining records show there are still another 100 to 125 people who will be requesting shots.
Different patients require different dosages, depending on their ages. These are the guidelines that you follow for flu vaccinations:
- Senior citizens, or those over age 65, require 28 mg
- Adults age 35 to 64 require 24 mg
- Adults age 18 to 34 require 20 mg
Patient records indicate the following:
- There are 73 adults, 65 years of age or over, who will likely be requesting flu shots
- Another 34 adults between the ages of 35 and 64 have yet to be vaccinated
- There could be as many as 18 adults between the ages of 18 and 34 that will also want to be vaccinated. However, because of their age, many may choose not to have the flu shot
If all the senior citizens decide they want vaccinations, all of the adults aged 35 to 64 want vaccinations, and half of the remaining group want vaccinations, how much vaccine will you need to order?