By Cecilia Nasmith

The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit has released a new Respiratory Diseases dashboard that will provide information on both COVID-19 and influenza activity within the County of Northumberland, City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County.

The epidemiological information is based on data entered in the Public Health Case and Contact Management Solution, Integrated Public Health Information, Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance and Ontario Laboratories Information System as of 11:59 p.m. the previous Saturday.

Previously referred to as the COVID-19 dashboard, the new Respiratory Diseases dashboard has three convenient sections – overview, COVID-19 activity and influenza activity.

The revised dashboard will still provide localized epidemiological information on COVID-19 activity including daily case counts, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths, outbreaks, and laboratory testing. It will also include a detailed overall summary of the respiratory season that also includes influenza updates.

Among the new features to be found on the Respiratory Diseases dashboard are two distinct tables for COVID-19 activity and influenza activity, as well as epidemiological reporting for influenza activity that will include:

• Graphs reporting on hospitalization and emergency department visits by age group and municipality

• Influenza activity and severity, reported seasonally beginning in September

• Comparison graphs showcasing past respiratory seasons from 2017-2020 (the 2020-2022 respiratory seasons will not be provided, due to the abnormal influenza seasons because of pandemic activity)

Revisions to the epidemiological reporting for COVID-19 activity will include:

• Graphs focusing on the length of the pandemic with testing changes noted from January 2022

• Wastewater Surveillance data from all three sites – Cobourg, Minden and Lindsay – condensed into one graph and colour-coded by site

“We really wanted to provide our community with a data tool that provides both localized influenza and COVID-19 activity indicators and trends in a visual and impactful way,” Director of Foundational Standards and Chief Nursing Official Fiona Kelly said in the announcement.

The Respiratory Diseases dashboard will be released weekly on Tuesdays (excluding statutory holidays) within one consolidated report, and available on the health unit website.