Toronto Public Health launches enhanced COVID-19 dashboard, current status is yellow

TORONTO, ON., Sept. 24, 2020 — Toronto Public Health launches COVID-19 dashboard — Today, Toronto Public Health launched enhancements to the COVID-19 data dashboard. This updated dashboard provides more detailed information to help residents better understand how this virus is affecting Torontonians. A key role of public health in the battle against COVID-19 is to use current evidence and local data to inform decisions about public health actions to keep residents safer as we live with COVID-19.

Toronto’s COVID-19 status is Yellow, case counts continue to increase

As of today, there have been 17,971 cases of COVID-19 total cases in Toronto, an increase of 129 cases since yesterday. And with continued case count increases the COVID-19 status Dashboard, which was completely Green in all 4 categories —virus spread and containment, laboratory testing, health system capacity and public health capacity—has now moved to Yellow in the first two of those categories.

There are 40 people hospitalized, with 1 person in ICU. In total 15, 526 people have recovered from COVID-19, an increase of 87 cases since yesterday. To date, there have been 1,178 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform.

“Throughout the pandemic I have strongly supported Toronto Public Health providing as much information as possible to residents,” said Mayor John Tory. “The dashboard will help provide more details about how COVID-19 is impacting our city. This information and transparency is crucial so that people can understand this virus and how they can help us stop the spread. I look forward to public health continuing to provide greater details around COVID-19 in our community,” said Mayor Tory.

Updates will help the public understand the local impact of COVID-19 in Toronto

TPH received extensive feedback from residents and experts to improve the way that COVID-19 information is reported. The updates will help the public understand the local impact of COVID-19 in Toronto as the city faces a resurgence in cases and include:

• Daily updates on new cases and weekday updates on outbreaks to provide more current information on the local situation and help residents see how COVID-19 activity is changing in our city.
• More detailed weekly updates highlighting the data trends to be shared on Wednesdays. This will include additional graphs and figures to provide more insight into who is contracting COVID-19 in our community.
• A summary of active outbreaks has been expanded to include additional institutions such as schools and child care centres. TPH will list the specific institutions where an outbreak has been identified and is under investigation.
• TPH is also looking into addressing the Board of Health request at the September meeting to include a high-level summary of outbreaks in workplace settings at a later date. TPH will continue updating the dashboard as the local situation changes.

The City’s COVID-19 response is grounded by three key objectives: to prevent loss of life, preserve the capacity of the health system and minimize social, economic and broader health impacts. The COVID-19 monitoring dashboard also reports on key indicators of the COVID-19 response and health system capacity. Given the current resurgence in cases, this information is becoming even more critical to understanding how COVID19 is affecting our community and informing what public health actions are needed to keep residents safer. Since its launch on June 12, 2020, the monitoring dashboard has been viewed almost two million times.

The City’s website is updated daily with the latest health advice and information about City services, social supports and economic recovery measures. Check toronto.ca/covid-19 for answers to common questions before contacting the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Hotline or 311.

SOURCE City of Toronto

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