Researchers at UCL-led collaboration i-sense, have published a dashboard to collate data on five stages; Find, Test, Track, Isolate and Support, with an aim to provide a complete picture of the pandemic.
The i-sense COVID Response Evaluation Dashboard (COVID RED) collates and presents data from the Office of National Statistics, Public Health England, and the NHS under five categories; Find, Test, Track, Isolate and Support for those asked to Isolate (FTTIS). It presents indicators of performance under each of these headings, and identifies areas where more data is needed.
Co-developer Professor Christina Pagel, UCL Mathematics & Physical Sciences, said: “Increasing volumes of data are being shown in the media and in government press conferences as a basis for local tightening of restrictions.”
“However, these data are often from disparate sources, and are not linked together to give a more complete picture of how we are doing. This was the motivation behind our dashboard development. We wish to contribute to the public understanding of COVID-19’s spread, and support policymakers in identifying current areas of the Find, Test, Trace, Isolate and Support structure requiring strengthening.”
The researchers note gaps in the information; at present, the number of people isolating with symptoms in England is unknown, and there is a lack of data on those who need or are receiving any kind of support.
Also the best available data for some areas of the dashboard is up to two weeks old.
Co-developer Professor Deenan Pillay, UCL Infection & Immunity, said: “Coronavirus case numbers are doubling every two weeks at the moment, and access to real-time data will be essential during this time to monitor ‘hot-spots’ of infection as we head into winter so that local health authorities can better control community spread.”
“Indeed, an effective local public health approach is key to ensuring we avoid the need for regular lockdowns. Track, Trace, Isolate’ is a key part of monitoring the effectiveness of social distancing measures, and to ensure infections remain low once we come out of current and future restrictions.”
To view the dashboard please click here.
