New HSE-HPSC data hub to provide comprehensive overview of winter respiratory viruses
The HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has launched a new Respiratory Virus Notification Data Hub to provide the latest data for COVID-19, influenza and RSV cases in Ireland. The hub also includes data on hospitalised cases, ICU cases, deaths and outbreaks in Ireland.
The Data Hub will tell the story of the winter virus season as it happens in Ireland.
This is the first time that Irish respiratory virus data have been interactively available in a way that makes it easy to track several winter respiratory viruses and compare seasonal variations. It provides respiratory virus data in an up to date, dynamic and timely manner and tells us when the viruses circulate in the community, the severity of illness due to the viruses and which age groups and counties are most affected by the virus.
The hub is an additional tool to be used in combination with HPSC’s existing outputs, which together will be used to inform and guide health service preparedness and response for winter resilience planning.
Information in this data hub will help inform HSE advice to the healthcare system and the wider public on how to manage the impact of changing levels of infection over the winter period and beyond. But it also reiterates the importance at this time of year of getting our population vaccinated against seasonal flu and COVID-19 to protect our most vulnerable people and the health system.
The Respiratory Virus Data Hub has come about through collaboration between HPSC and People and Place Ltd. Other key stakeholders include laboratories and clinicians who notify respiratory virus cases and Departments of Public Health who manage the surveillance system at regional level.
The data hub is available at: https://respiratoryvirus.hpsc.ie/