The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team (UP PRT) launches new features in endcov.ph, a web portal created to provide the public with vital information and tools in the fight against COVID-19.
Since it’s launch in April, the UP PRT has contributed new resources to the dashboard including features that show Case Projections, the State of Transmissions in NCR based on LGU data, Municipal/City Density Map based on current active cases, and a Policy Sourcebook on COVID-19.
COVID-19 Case Projections
Through the Case Projections feature, anyone can view projections of the “Cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines”, by date up to the end of August. These projections are under the assumption of medium risk. Users can easily set the date through the calendar provided or through advanced options such as “this year” and “this quarter”. The feature uses models developed by the UP Los Baños group of the UP PRT, led by Dr. Jomar Fajardo Rabajante, who shares their notes within the feature.
COVID-19 Transmissions in Metro Manila
Endcov.ph can now show the State of COVID-19 Transmissions in the NCR through the “Compendium of COVID-19 Statistics” located in the “Quick Count” section of the dashboard. The compendium provides information on how LGUs are faring in the fight against COVID-19 in terms of their time-varying reproductive number (Rt), case fatality rate, and recovery rate, for a specific period of time. The Rt indicates the number of people that one COVID-19 positive case can infect. The case fatality rate is the percentage of the total number of cases that account for deaths, adjusted in consideration of delays in onset and deaths. While the recovery rate is the percentage of the total number of cases that account for recoveries. The compendium is based on the Quick Count database that sources information from LGUs and their local disaster risk reduction and management offices (LDRRMOs) and health offices.
This feature also contains “special reports” highlighting LGUs that require more attention, showing their reproductive number, case fatality rate, recovery rate, and a brief analysis on whether these numbers have gone up or down, and by how much. The special reports, written in Filipino, provide easy-to-understand interpretations and explanations of the data to help LGUs make informed decisions.
Local Density Map of Active Cases
To visualize the state of COVID-19 at the local level, a new layer has been added to https://endcov.ph/map. The COVID-19 Density Maps are visualizations of the density of cases for every 100,000 people in an area. This is meant to account for the differences in population size in COVID-affected LGUs.
The categorization of areas builds on the zoning guidelines of the COVID-19 National Task Force (NTF). It shows which municipalities and cities are (1) highly critical zones with at least 10 cases per 100,000 population; (2) critical zones with at least 5 cases relative to size; (3) zones to contain the spread for areas with at least 1 case; (4) buffer areas for those with no case but are susceptible because they are contiguous to containment areas; and (5) clear areas far from zones with cases.
Policy Sourcebook
Other than COVID-19 statistics, projections, and trackers, Endcov.ph also has a collection of information resources and advisories available to the public. The latest addition is UPRI’s annotated compilation of COVID-19 policies titled, “Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: A Policy Sourcebook”.
The sourcebook, which will be updated every month, consists of two volumes: Volume I covers national issuances while Volume II, which will be released at a later date, will focus on local government policies. Volume I can now be accessed through the endcov.ph dashboard, under the Policies tab.
These resources are meant to help Filipinos keep track of the government’s policy responses as they try to cope with the current crisis. The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team remains steadfast in serving the people and in helping the nation in its fight against COVID-19.
For questions or clarifications related to endcov.ph, please send an email ([email protected]) to the UP PRT.
(This was originally posted on the UP System website on July 7, 2020)