Dashboard to help Commonwealth nations tackle coronavirus

A COVID-19 dashboard has been launched by the Commonwealth Secretariat to help member countries make vital decisions during the ongoing crisis.

The Commonwealth COVID-19 Dashboard is now live and offering crucial data and analysis to help equip governments and health workers with the information they need to tackle the pandemic and its devastating impacts.

Powered by cutting-edge technology and algorithms, the dashboard analyses and compares the latest data on national, regional and pan-Commonwealth levels using information from a range of internationally respected sources such as the World Health Organisation.

To ensure that the data can be used as effectively as possible, it presents all of this information using seven-day rolling averages, doubling times and daily percentage changes in cases and fatalities, for each of the 54 Commonwealth countries, including India.

According to the Commonwealth COVID-19 Dashboard, the total number of people across the Commonwealth who have tested positive so far stands at 2,601,364 with 98,046 deaths.

The dashboard also reveals the number of confirmed cases and deaths is rising most sharply in Commonwealth countries in the Asia region.

Commenting on the dashboard, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: "This innovative tool will help health workers, governments and officials make the right decisions at the right time using the right information.

"We all must recognise that this crisis is far from over, while the virus is subsiding in some countries it is unfortunately increasing in others. Its impact on people's health, livelihoods and general wellbeing and on the economies of countries and regions around the world continues to be devastating.

"Having access to robust, reliable and up-to-date information, presented using clear and easy to understand graphics, make the dashboard a valuable tool for those seeking to limit these impacts."

Other dashboard features include a Trend Analysis Tool comparing current and historical data for multiple countries.

Meanwhile, a Commonwealth COVID-19 Analysis page illustrates the pandemic's ongoing effects on key social, economic and environmental indicators.

This includes data from a recent United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, which shows the impact of the virus on the tourism sector -- a key slice of many Commonwealth economies.