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UKHSA data dashboard

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COVID-19 positivity metrics not updated

Due to a data processing issue, COVID-19 positivity metrics have not been updated this week, and will be updated in upcoming refreshes.

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About

Last updated on Thursday, 11 April 2024 at 12:37pm

About the dashboard

The UKHSA data dashboard is produced by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The UKHSA is committed to informing the public of current health data in an accessible and transparent way.

The UKHSA data dashboard builds on the success of the COVID-19 in the UK dashboard, which was created as a trusted source of data in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data played a powerful role in monitoring the pandemic and reacting as it progressed. The COVID-19 dashboard helped the UK government understand case numbers, the impact cases had on hospitals and the number of deaths, and the success of vaccination programmes.

The UK is now Living with COVID-19. While COVID-19 data is still relevant, demand and usage of this data has changed over time. The COVID-19 dashboard normalised access to high-quality, transparent data: the UKHSA data dashboard iterates and expands on the COVID-19 dashboard, sharing more data within the remit of UKHSA.

Dashboard data

Initially, the UKHSA data dashboard will focus on data on COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory viruses. In the future, the dashboard will expand to present a wider range of data on public health topics including other infectious diseases as well as chemical, environmental and radiological health threats.

There will be a site-wide data refresh on Thursdays of all available data. This means that if we have no new data for a data metric that week, that data will not be updated. The dashboard metadata includes more detailed information on data frequency, rationale, source and methodology (how the data is calculated).

The data on the dashboard comes from a number of different sources. The UKHSA data dashboard is launching showing data across England: while some data sources also feature data for Wales, we will only be showing data for England.

Features are continuously being developed and will become live on the dashboard over the next few months. The dashboard has undergone statistical review.

Changes from the COVID-19 dashboard

The UKHSA data dashboard is an iteration of the COVID-19 dashboard. While many features are similar, there are some differences between the two dashboards:

  • the UKHSA data dashboard does not report all of the same data metrics for COVID-19 as in the COVID-19 dashboard - this is because the data is no longer relevant in the time period of Living with COVID
  • COVID-19 metrics will be updated each week - metrics for other viruses will be updated every other week, in line with the data reporting
  • names of COVID-19 metrics are different on the UKHSA data dashboard - this is to improve readability and searchability of the metrics
  • the API function can be used to extract data related to a specific data type, metric and geographical area - unlike the COVID-19 dashboard API, the UKHSA data dashboard API cannot be used to extract all data relating to a data type or geographical area

Criteria for a topic appearing on the dashboard

The UKHSA data dashboard aims to make public health data of use, interest and importance available in an accessible way. Several possible scenarios may lead to new topics being added to the dashboard. For example:

  • a public health incident could require getting key information out
  • key metrics and figures from existing UKHSA publications may be chosen to be shown in a more accessible way

Public health topics flagged for addition to the UKHSA data dashboard go through an assessment framework, which determines:

  • data availability and quality
  • significance and urgency of the topic
  • public health interest
  • accessibility of existing publications, reports and other resources which may already be providing the data

Removal from the dashboard

Data may be removed from the dashboard if any of the following situations happen:

  • UKHSA loses access to the data
  • there are significant changes to the data which impact how it’s displayed and interpreted
  • data is considered no longer meaningful

If a data metric or topic is removed, added or updated on the dashboard, this will be clearly shown on the What's new section of the dashboard.

Data availability by topic

Different data is available for each topic.

This could be because healthcare settings don’t report data for certain metrics for viruses, or because the data isn’t available.

Data availability by geography

The availability of data for different geographical areas varies between metrics.

Geography definitions

The data we use comes from multiple organisations, with each using different regional definitions for their statistics. The UKHSA data dashboard is committed to presenting data in a transparent way and therefore displays the data in the form in which it’s published. This ensures our figures match the relevant publications.

On the UKHSA data dashboard:

  • UKHSA regions are used for cases and testing
  • ONS (Office for National Statistics) regions are used for deaths
  • NHS regions are used for healthcare statistics

For this reason, we caution against comparing cases, testing, deaths and healthcare outside of a national level.

About UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) was established as the nation’s expert health security agency. Our role is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to external hazards that threaten the health of the UK population.

UKHSA delivers health security in England, in partnership with other national and local organisations. Delivery for health security in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland sits with the devolved governments.

In specific areas where responsibility rests with the UK government, UKHSA’s remit extends to the whole of the UK.

Find out more about the UKHSA.

Privacy statement

No information that could identify an individual will be published on this dashboard. For details on how we (UKHSA) collect and use personal information to fulfil our remit from the government, please see our UKHSA Privacy Notice.

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