Will Ottawa Public Health stop updating its COVID-19 dashboard?

Screenshot of the COVID-19 dashboard on the Ottawa Public Health website on Jan. 30, 2024. (ottawapublichealth.ca)

Ottawa Public Health is clarifying the confusion that has been circulating on social media around its plans to phase out its COVID-19 dashboard.

While the current COVID-19 dashboard will be discontinued in February, the health unit pledges to continue to give updates about COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses circulating in the capital.

"It's worth noting that the data itself isn't going anywhere, either. Both the historical data from the COVID-19 dashboard and the latest raw data will still be available on our website," read a post on social media.

The health unit notes that in 2022 a whole new dashboard -- the Respiratory and Enteric Surveillance dashboard -- was launched to track the activity of respiratory viruses in the city. The new dashboard gets updated every Wednesday.

Since then, the COVID-19 dashboard has slowly become redundant, as its data has been available in the new respiratory dashboard, says Ottawa Public Health.

The information shared in the respiratory dashboard is meant help people assess their risks of capturing diseases rather than just providing data. It also shows seasonal trends, allowing people to have an idea about what’s going on in their communities, explains the public health agency.

“At some point in February, the COVID-19 dashboard will no longer be refreshed each week. We haven't finalized exactly when it'll happen, but we'll be sure to let you know when it does,” Ottawa Public Health said on social media.

While the pandemic isn’t over yet, the health unit notes, people are asked to keep checking the respiratory dashboard, which will be updated on a weekly basis.

"And please keep assessing your risks. Keep staying up to date with your COVID-19 and flu vaccinations. Keep wearing well-fitted masks when needed. Keep using your layers. Take care, Ottawa," said Ottawa Public Health.