Milwaukee, WI – Today, Milwaukee County leaders announced significant updates to the nationally recognized COVID-19 Dashboard, the nation’s first dashboard to show COVID-19 data broken down by race and ethnicity. During the pandemic, local leaders in every jurisdiction have used Milwaukee County’s COVID-19 dashboard to guide decision-making related to testing, outreach and education. The dashboard pulls data from state and local sources to show total cases, deaths, hospitalizations, tests, and percentage of positive results, and uses a map to represent each of these categories geographically.
“We continue to rely on the data to paint a clear picture of how the virus is affecting Milwaukee County and how we must respond.” said County Executive David Crowley. “Detailed data showing us what’s happening in our communities will help us make even better decisions to keep residents safe and contain the spread of the disease. It also helps residents understand the scale of community unfolding in their neighborhood and helps them make day-to-day decisions for themselves and their families.”
Recent dashboard updates include a detailed view of demographic information on both primary and booster vaccinations, as well as community-level vaccination trends.
“Our goals with the COVID-19 dashboard continue to focus on transparency, accountability and collaboration. More detailed information on the spread of the disease will help us all inform our approach to keeping residents safe as the pandemic landscape continues to change and uncertainty about the future lingers.” said Shannon Gramann, data analytics manager for the Office of Emergency Management.
Since the dashboard’s launch in March 2020, data has been used to drive decisions in everything from testing to resource allocation. In 2021, the county developed the EVE model, which looks at community immunization rates alongside the CDC Social Vulnerability Index to enable equitable distribution of vaccines. Regular mapping of these results enabled targeted messaging and resource allocation in a dynamic, on-demand manner.
“Detailed data has proven extremely helpful in understanding trends and guiding resource allocation. In an ever-changing pandemic landscape that’s getting more complicated by the day, additional detail will help leaders across the county work together and make wise decisions to keep people safe. The dashboard is built to cover all levels of experience, from ordinary citizen to career expert. You don’t have to be an epidemiologist to use this data,” said Milwaukee County Chief Health Policy Advisor Dr. Ben Weston. “In the last month we have seen a significant increase in cases due to a dynamic pandemic driven by variant – with each new variant becoming progressively more transmissible than the last. Right now, the data tells us that hospitalizations are also increasing and this is the time for residents to maximize their protection by getting both doses of the vaccine and the additional boosters that are available to them.”
As the landscape becomes increasingly risky, residents should do everything they can to stay safe while working, visiting local businesses, or attending large public gatherings. Residents should consider their personal risk and consider wearing a quality N95/KN95 in public spaces. In addition, the use of ventilation and observing distance from others are effective tactics to limit the risk of contracting the disease. Vaccinations remain the best tool for residents to protect themselves and others during the pandemic. HealthyMKE.com continues to be a resource for the public to learn more about ways to maximize their protection and find a vaccinator. Additionally, residents who are experiencing symptoms or have a confirmed case of COVID-19 should consider contacting their doctor to learn more about possible treatments.
