Puerto Rico Health Dept. unveils COVID-19 digital dashboard
Seeking to add “greater visibility and access” to detailed information on the behavior of COVID-19 on the island, the Puerto Rico Health Secretary Lorenzo González, unveiled the agency’s digital dashboard that presents the official figures and behavior of the virus on the island.
This tool promotes the development of the capacities needed to increase the effectiveness of emergency response, such as sharing and exchanging information to streamline the decision-making process using technology as the main engine, he said.
“The integration of this dashboard represents a step forward in the transition process of the methodology of documentation, validation and reporting of the results of the COVID-19 tests in Puerto Rico and its impact on our health system,” González said.
“As the virus has evolved on the island, we have had to expand the tools we will use to deal with the virus and add information dissemination capabilities,” he said. “This way, the public will be able to follow the impact of COVID-19 with updated information and make determinations based on scientific statistics.”
The new system will include variables ranging from the enumeration of positive COVID-19 test results, to the total number of beds available through all hospitals in Puerto Rico (intensive care, pediatrics, and isolation rooms, among others), total ventilators in use, patient census and deaths from disease, among others, he said.
The information will include details on the demography and the municipalities that positive results are attributed to.
“With this tool, we not only make statistical information accessible to the general population, but we also offer mayors, health professionals, health experts and the press a mechanism that seeks to satisfy each of their needs to carry out their duties during the battle against COVID-19,” said González.
The administration official has been holding virtual meetings with the mayors to explain how the platform works and to clear up doubts that have come up, so they can access the dashboard and access the information they need to continue implementing efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
The dashboard was created in-house at the agency and will be modified according to the dynamics and the information needs in relation to the virus, including variables related to resources directed to hospitals, health centers or municipalities.
