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At an afternoon briefing to legislators, Gov. David Ige and representatives from the Hawai‘i Department of Health and the University of Hawai‘i unveiled a new COVID-19 dashboard for anyone interested in tracking local data associated with the coronavirus pandemic. This dashboard can be accessed at www.HawaiiCOVID19.com
“This is a tremendous step forward in providing vital information in an easy-to-read and understand format. It immediately improves our ability to provide key metrics about how Hawai‘i is performing in our fight against COVID-19 and offers data to aid in decision-making,”
Governor Ige
The new metrics now available include:
Data for the dashboard is being pulled from multiple sources and will be updated daily or weekly, depending on the sources from which the information is derived. The dashboard will continue to be a collaborative process involving DOH and key partners sharing timely and accurate information with the public.
Kaua‘i District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman, one of numerous collaborators who developed the dashboard, said the dashboard responds to several needs. “There are many places where the public and policy-makers can obtain different pieces of the data. This is a central, go-to source for information from multiple sources,” Berreman explained. Additionally, she says the dashboard provides the ability to monitor COVID-19 indicators across the full spectrum of disease control actions: prevention, detection, containment, and treatment, rather than focusing narrowly on just one.
Edward Mersereau, deputy director of the Dept. of Health’s Behavioral Health Administration, provided more detail on the four action areas. He said, “While we know there is currently no cure or vaccine to control spread, every success we experience in prevention, detection, containment and treatment means less burden on public health and the health care system. Tracking the impact of measures in the four areas helps to guide where our efforts are effective and where they are not. People will be able to see whether or not policies and strategies are having the intended impact and will be more empowered to make informed decisions for their personal wellbeing in this pandemic.”
“This dashboard is an all hands-on deck effort that aims to sync up multiple data sources into a single location. Our aspiration is to have data that are accurate, timely, and granular to help make individual and public decisions through a collaborative partnership with data providers,”
Dr. Victoria Fan, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Myron B Thompson School of Social Work
The dashboard seeks to inform the community and policy makers on four key action areas essential to stopping the pandemic:
“This dashboard is a multi-faceted depiction of all the moving parts associated with pandemic management and response in one place. My hope is this will provide greater understanding and appreciation of the complexity of dealing with this unprecedented public health crisis and help get Hawai‘i back on the road to health and economic recovery as soon as possible.”
Gov. Ige
Via: HawaiiCovid.com
Written by: Cosmic Cowgirl