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Data

person sitting at laptopUpdated 7/6/2020 at 6:10pm

Launch Data Dashboard

Data Snapshot

Each week we plan to share a data snapshot that highlights a few key data points from the week. Snapshots will be released on Mondays each week or on dates when a new order is announced.

We are also now putting out a blog post each Monday titled "Data Notes," which explains the trends and themes we're seeing. To get notification when a new blog is posted, subscribe on this page. You can find past blog posts there as well.

Forward Dane Metrics

Last updated on July 6, 2020; Dane County and Southern Region data from June 20 to July 3. Data are updated weekly or on dates when new orders are announced.

 

Measure Dane County Status Southern Region Status*
Percent Positive Tests
Below a threshold of 5% for positive tests as a percent of total tests averaged across most recent 14 day period
yellow circle with exclamation point
green circle with a checkmark
Cases per Day
Below a low incidence threshold of 4 cases per day for Dane County averaged over most recent 14 day period
red circle with x
red circle with x
Tests Conducted
Testing supplies and staff facilitate adequate testing for disease control and surveillance with goal of over 800 tests per day in most recent 14 day period
green circle with a checkmark
green circle with a checkmark
Testing for Healthcare Workers
Robust testing in place for health care workers
green circle with a checkmark
green circle with a checkmark
Patients Treated without Crisis Care
Treat all patients without crisis care, including facility use, staffing, and critical supply
green circle with a checkmark
green circle with a checkmark
Healthcare Workers with COVID-19
Stable or decreasing numbers of infected healthcare workers in most recent 14 day period
green circle with a checkmark
green circle with a checkmark
Lab Reporting Timeliness & Contact Tracing
All positive cases can be reported and contacted quickly to facilitate rapid isolation and quarantine for disease control in most recent 14 day period
red circle with x
 Not tracked at regional level
Community Spread
Proportion of contacted COVID-19 cases who don't know where they could have gotten COVID-19 in most recent 14 day period
red circle with x
red circle with x
COVID-like Symptoms
Stable or decrease of COVID-like syndromic cases reported within most recent 14 day period
green circle with a checkmark
green circle with a checkmark

*The Southern region includes these counties: Adams, Columbia, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Richland, Lafayette, Rock, and Sauk.

green circle with a checkmark  = green

yellow circle with exclamation point  = yellow

red circle with x  = red

Process Measures

In addition to the publicly facing nine metrics, we’ll be monitoring process measures as well to help us understand where there may be a gap in the system. These process measures look at transmission dynamics (the “R” value of our epidemic), lab result reporting timeliness, outbreak monitoring within priority populations, capacity for supporting isolation/quarantine, and contact attempts of both cases and contacts.

How will data help Dane County move to a new phase of Forward Dane? 

To move to Phase 1: all Dane County metrics must be yellow or green. 

Phase 1 to Phase 2: will be assessed at 14 days after implementation of Phase 1 (May 26, 2020), then assessed regularly until criteria met. More than half of metrics must be green and Epidemiology criteria ("percent positive tests" and "cases per day") must not be red. 

Phase 2 to Phase 3: will be assessed at 14 days after implementation of Phase 2, then assessed regularly until criteria met. More than half of metrics in Dane County must be green, and no metrics in Dane County and the Southern Region can be red. 

Phase 3 will be continued until widespread protections are available (i.e., vaccine). 

Understanding the Metrics in Forward Dane

To manage the epidemic in a manner that allows for a gradual reopening and helps prevent a spike in cases, we take measurements from three areas of importance. These data are all interrelated. For example, the number of tests conducted can affect many other metrics. We need time to assess the results of widespread community testing so we do not have to tighten restrictions after loosening them.

As we see progress in these measures, we will take steps towards a phased reopening of Dane County that will help us minimize the spread of the virus. Opening everything too soon would put us at risk for losing all the progress we made over the past two months.

We look at three types of data from a disease control standpoint:

  • Epidemiology asks, "Can our healthcare and public health systems handle our growth in cases?" From a disease control standpoint, the prevalence of COVID-19 cases must be low enough to be swiftly contained by an epidemiological response.
  • Healthcare asks, “Is our healthcare system overwhelmed?” A sustained, high testing level ensures our epidemiology criteria are accurate. We measure facility use, staffing, and critical supplies across Dane hospitals to ensure they’re operating outside of crisis care. Healthcare workers power healthcare systems, and we measure that they’re being tested and have sustained low rates of positivity.
  • Public health asks, “Are we able to contain infections that do occur?” Through rapid contact tracing, we can identify and notify exposed contacts. Through education and isolation assistance the risk of spread is lowered for the community. Monitoring community spread—the percentage of cases with an unidentified risk factor—is how we can gain a sense of the scale of undetected disease spread.

Frequently Asked Data Dashboard Questions

Do these numbers reflect everyone who has COVID-19 in Dane County?

No. Until recently, healthcare systems evaluate their staffing, testing supplies, and current symptoms of an individual and their risk factors (e.g., age, underlying health conditions) to prioritize who is tested. As a result, there are people who have COVID-19 who were not tested. See our testing page for the latest information on testing.

Is there a version for mobile devices?

This lighter version is more mobile compatible. 

Why don't you release information at the neighborhood or town level? 

We currently share information at the county level because more specific data could identify people in some of our smallest communities. With community spread, you need to assume there are positive cases in every town because there probably are. We don't want people to have a false sense of security because there is or isn't a lab confirmed person in their town. No matter where you live, our recommendations are the same: stay home as much as possible.

How do you calculate the number of people tested?

We receive testing data from public and private laboratories via a statewide reporting system called the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System. We only receive reports on lab tests done for Dane County residents.
The Total Tests box on the dashboard displays the total number of tests conducted (minus the current date), including multiple tests conducted for the same person. The People Tested box displays the total number of individuals tested (minus the current date). The Tests by Date chart used to show the number of individuals tested based on the day they were reported, and only the first test for each individual was counted. A change was made on 5/19/20 and this chart now shows the total number of tests each day (including multiple tests for the same person) based on the date of the test result from 3/7/20 forward, and does not show tests for the current date. There were 69 COVID-19 tests prior to 3/7/20. 

How do you calculate the case count?

All case counts reflect the number of people who tested positive prior to the current date. The new and cumulative case count by date graph shows people who tested positive by the date the positive result was received, and does not show cases for the current date. 

How do you calculate recovered cases?

Currently, there is neither a national or international definition of what it means to “recover” from COVID-19, nor a cure for COVID-19. We use "recovered" as a proxy for infectiousness. In absence of an established definition, prior to 6/23/20, we have been calculating “recovered” cases as those who have not died and it has been over 30 days since their date of symptom onset or first positive test. Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is now reporting recovered cases by county on their website, and their definition includes documentation of resolved symptoms or documentation of release from public health isolation. In order to be consistent with the state, as of 6/23/20, we will now be reporting “recovered” cases in the same way, which will cause a one-day jump of around 200 additional recovered cases as this definition captures additional people we were not previously counting as recovered.