By now, you’ve likely come across a stockpile of online maps and charts showing the alarmingly rapid spread of the coronavirus disease â known as COVID-19 â since it was first detected late last year in Wuhan, China. But figures are often unconfirmed and inconsistent.
The following interactive map, produced by HealthMap, an infectious disease surveillance platform out of Boston Childrenâs Hospital, shows the most up-to-date counts and locations, based entirely on data confirmed by public health agencies around the world, according to project manager Kara Sewalk. The cases are recorded manually, round-the-clock, by a host of participating health and academic institutions, she said, and the map continually updates to show the most accurate current account of the pandemic. The evolving dataset, she added, is publicly available.
“It’s important to really understand the impact of this disease,” Sewalk said, encouraging viewers to use the map’s animation function, which shows the progression. “It really started as a small cluster of cases in one province in China. It’s eye opening to a lot of people to see how quickly it can move.”
While valuable to accurately show the spread of the virus in real-time, Sewalk noted, it’s even more important for her team to have a reliable dataset to use after the outbreak is over, for epidemiological research to help prevent or minimize future outbreaks.
And as disturbing as the map is, the intention is not to freak people out more than they already are, she added, but rather increase awareness of the disease and encourage the public to take the necessary preventative measures to keep themselves safe.
Copyright 2020 KQED