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SLO County is changing the way it tracks COVID cases. Here's what's different

Tribune - 9/26/2022

Sep. 26—The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is changing the way it tracks coronavirus cases — using bigger picture data, including wastewater surveillance, to show the impact of the virus on the community.

The department on Monday announced it will be launching an updated COVID-19 data dashboard this week to "provide streamlined, relevant information that is most meaningful at this stage in the pandemic."

This will be the first major re-design since the dashboard launched in March 2020, according to a Public Health news release.

"The information we need to make smart decisions today is different than it was two years ago," County Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in the release. "We also have access to more dynamic and detailed data than we did when the pandemic began, and we are eager for our community to have access to the most practical information available.

"This pandemic has challenged us all to remain nimble and responsive to the situation — that's what this update is about."

According to the release, the new dashboard will "shift the focus from individual laboratory-confirmed (PCR) case counts," and will most notably begin sharing data from wastewater surveillance.

Wastewater surveillance allows Public Health to track the level of COVID-19 in the community without relying solely upon test results, according to previous Tribune reporting.

Public Health officials have long said the true prevalence of COVID-19 in the community is likely larger than what's shown by daily case counts, which are based off of the number of positive tests reported to the department.

The new dashboard will include broader looks at coronavirus-related hospitalizations, deaths, variants and vaccination trends, according to the release, plus easier access to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Community Levels tracker and recommendations.

"The new dashboard will strategically use state and national data sources for big-picture trends while presenting current local data on wastewater and the most severe outcomes of COVID-19," the release said.

It will include links to detailed dashboards for Atascadero State Hospital and California Men's Colony.

The new dashboard is expected to launch before Wednesday, when Public Health releases weekly coronavirus data.

The original dashboard will remain available as an archive.

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