WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL LAUNCHES UK’S FIRST LOCAL COVID-19 DASHBOARD

Wokingham Borough Council, Shute End, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1BN
Tel: (0118) 974 6000 Email: cem@wokingham.gov.uk
WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL LAUNCHES UK’S FIRST LOCAL COVID-19 DASHBOARD
Wokingham Borough Council is today announcing the launch of a new Covid-19 Dashboard available on
the Berkshire Public Health website, which will enable residents to quickly obtain the latest statistics on
Covid-19 and access comprehensive guidance on the national restrictions. The dashboard is the first of
its kind in the UK, providing real-time data on Covid-19 across Berkshire, and making it easily accessible
to the county’s population of nearly one million residents.
Using the dashboard’s interactive map, residents can search for results in their local area and compare
them with statistics for the rest of the county, the South East region and England as a whole. The ‘My
Local Area’ section of the website is where users can put in their full postcode and receive information
on the current rules and regulations to follow under this national lockdown.
Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health, wellbeing and adult services said: “We know that
there is a real concern about rising infection rates across the Borough, and we are working hard to
communicate the latest updates in the most impactful way through our ‘In It Together’ campaign. The
new Covid-19 Dashboard supports these efforts, as it provides a fantastic one-stop-shop for relevant
statistics and makes it much easier for local people to search for important data in their area. Alongside
this, there is a helpful information centre providing detail on the current rules and regulations, as well as
advice for anyone who is self-isolating.”
The site provides users with specific data on Covid-19 for each of Berkshire’s six local authority areas,
including:
• Daily new case numbers and total cases
• Weekly cases per 100,000 population and tracked against the South East and England
• Daily number of cases in graph format since the start of the pandemic in March
• Daily new cases for England and total cases for England since records began
• Weekly death rate and location (care home, at home, hospital, etc.)
Date: 5 November 2020
Issued by: Augusta Henning
Issue No: 227/20
Version: 0.1
Wokingham Borough Council, Shute End, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1BN
Tel: (0118) 974 6000 Email: cem@wokingham.gov.uk
• Data for 111 and 999 calls triaged for people with suspected Covid-19 symptoms plus the
number of daily online assessments
– MORE –
Tessa Lindfield, Strategic Director of Public Health for Berkshire, added: “This innovative website is a goto resource for all the latest lockdown information. It also allows our communities to see what’s really
happening in their area – how many positive cases there are each day or week, how many deaths and
where these are sadly happening.
“We urge residents to visit www.berkshirepublichealth.co.uk to read the government guidance on what
they can and cannot do. Remember the importance of hands, face, space, observe social distancing and
be sure that if you do have to go out, you’re not bringing Covid-19 back into your home.
“We want to keep our communities safe and well. Together, we can break the Covid chain by following
the guidance and by isolating when required. We believe this new website will help us all to stick to the
rules.”
– ENDS –
Further information:
1. More from Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health, wellbeing and adult services, on
charles.margetts@wokingham.gov.uk
2. Please note the following information in relation to the dashboard:
• The Berkshire Covid-19 Dashboard was created by Public Health Berkshire and provides data for each of
the county’s six local authorities: Bracknell Forest, Reading, Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead,
West Berkshire, Wokingham Borough and Slough
• This website is believed to be the first of its kind in England, offering users valuable statistics on Covid-19
cases in their local area and revealing how each local authority is performing versus the South East region
and England as a whole
• The site also provides useful support and guidance on topics including where to get tested for Covid-19,
and how to self-isolate
• It has been developed for use on mobile devices (iPhone and Android) and desktops/laptops.
• Population data for Berkshire is as follows:
Bracknell Forest 122,549
Reading 161,780
Slough 149,539
West Berkshire 158,450
Windsor & Maidenhead151,422
Wokingham Borough Council, Shute End, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1BN
Tel: (0118) 974 6000 Email: cem@wokingham.gov.uk
Wokingham Borough 171,119
Source: Office for National Statistics – www.ons.gov.uk