Howard Co. school system launches dashboard to track COVID-19 cases

A look down a dimly lit hallway of school lockers - 3D render(Getty Images/iStockphoto/allanswart)

The Howard County Public School System has launched a new COVID-19 dashboard listing the number of COVID-19 cases involving students and staff who recently visited school facilities.

“This dashboard is intended to provide stakeholders with a transparent overview of COVID-19’s impact on our schools and offices,” said Michael J. Martirano, the school system’s superintendent.

The website data will be updated every Wednesday by 11 a.m.; any cases reported after Tuesdays will be included in the next week’s update, the system said in a news release.

“The metrics included on this dashboard, combined with those being provided by the Howard County Health Department, Maryland Department of Health, and Maryland State Department of Education, will present a comprehensive view of positive cases as we begin to transition students and staff back into our buildings,” Martirano said.

This dashboard reflects positive test results that are self-reported to the school system each week. The reporting is limited to students, staff or visitors who were in school or office buildings during their contagious period, according to the release.

The information is not cumulative and is displayed by individual location and by school level for each of the prior three weeks.

An archive of data dating back to July 15 can be seen by selecting a location name or date.

Additional information on the HCPSS COVID-19 dashboard includes communication protocols for a positive case, family and staff reporting responsibilities and health resources.

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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.