WA statewide COVID-19 data dashboard has been replaced. Here’s what to knowFree

OLYMPIA — The Washington state Department of Health retired its COVID-19 Data Dashboard on Monday, after more than three years of tracking the pandemic-causing illness.

But the data isn’t going away; it will exist alongside reports for the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, through the DOH’s new Respiratory Illness Data Dashboard on the department’s website.

The dashboard will allow people to track the three diseases’ activity by region across the state, according to a news release from the DOH.

The DOH’s Chief Science Officer Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett said in the news release the department hopes the new dashboard will help guide people in their decision-making as they try to keep themselves from getting sick. He listed preventative measures such as social distancing and wearing masks.

“Getting up to date on vaccinations and staying home when you’re sick can also help protect you and those around you against the worst impacts of COVID-19, flu and RSV,” he said. “We all need to do our part to reduce the chance that our healthcare system could be overwhelmed by respiratory illnesses in the coming months.”

The dashboard also includes data on the illnesses from previous years, and it’s organized so that the public can compare current disease activity to years past.

The new dashboard will be updated on a weekly basis through April of next year, according to the news release. Updates after that will depend on how active COVID-19 is at that time.