UIC updates COVID-19 Dashboard

To keep the UIC community fully informed about campus COVID-19 cases, the university updated its COVID-19 Dashboard on Jan. 13. Version 2.0 of the dashboard includes several enhancements designed to provide additional information and insights about the COVID status at UIC.

A banner at the top of the dashboard provides the campus’s current alert level. This is determined by the State of Illinois Regional COVID-19 mitigation tier for the Chicago region, and is made up of four levels:

• Green – New normal
• Yellow – Low to moderate risk
• Orange – Moderate risk
• Red – High risk

The alert level may change due to additional factors, including:

• Number of cases among students in the greater Chicago area, at UIC, or employees reporting for work at UIC campus facilities
• Quarantine/isolation capacity on campus
• Local hospital capacity
• Community spread of COVID in greater Chicago area
• Resource availability/supply chain (e.g., PPE, testing capacity)

The university’s saliva testing program for asymptomatic individuals is a critical part of UIC’s risk mitigation strategy and mandatory weekly testing is still required for certain groups of students and employees. UIC is also strongly encouraging weekly testing for those not in mandatory groups who will be coming to campus on a regular basis during the spring semester.

Testing data displayed on the dashboard has been updated to provide at-a-glance summaries of COVID-19 positive case totals from saliva and diagnostic testing, as well as a detailed graphical summary of the University’s saliva testing operation. Notably, the saliva testing data now includes data from the Rockford and Peoria regional campuses. Information buttons have been added to each dashboard section to provide details about how the data was collected and developed. Additional information appears when users hover their cursor over any chart data. In accordance with privacy laws, the university does not disclose personally identifying information about individuals who test positive.

When needed, the university will also provide COVID-19 updates within the narrative section of the dashboard.  This will likely include updated UIC public health guidance and related mitigation information.

The dashboard also contains links to federal, state, county and City of Chicago COVID-19 web sites and dashboards.

“Our COVID-19 Dashboard 2.0 provides a robust and comprehensive view of the virus status on campus and aids in our efforts to stop its spread,” said Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services John Coronado. “Our goal is to be as transparent as possible to ensure that every member of the campus community can take the necessary steps to protect their own health and the health of others.”

The dashboard is updated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and reflects day-of-test positive results.