DATA HAS now been published on the total number triages and online assessments carried out by the NHS which have received a potential Covid-19 final disposition.
The information has been collected from potential Covid-19 symptoms reported through NHS Pathways, 111, 999 and online assessments.
The data has been backdated to Wednesday, March 18, and is intended to inform the public and support the health and social care system in planning ahead.
Importantly, this data is based on potential Covid-19 symptoms reported by members of the public, and is not based on the outcomes of tests for coronavirus.
Yesterday the BBC reported that the Government had tested 143,186 people for coronavirus since the end of February, the majority of which have been on seriously ill hospital patients with symptoms of the virus.
To qualify for the SARS-CoV-2 test, hospital inpatients must have either clinical or radiological evidence of pneumonia, or acute respiratory distress syndrome, or a fever above 37.8°C and acute onset persistent cough, hoarseness, nasal discharge or congestion, shortness of breath, sore throat, wheezing or sneezing.
Nationally, the data for potential Covid-19 symptoms reported through NHS Pathways and 111 online is 1,740,198.
This can be broken down into 243,547 potential Covid-19 triages and 1,496,651 potential Covid-19 complete online assessments.
In the West Berkshire NHS region – which Wokingham borough is part of – 2,702 triages have received a potential Covid-19 final disposition, and 12,460 online assessments have reached a potential Covid-19 final disposition.
The data is not a true representation of the population, as it is not a count of people.
Users may have accessed the service multiple times with different symptoms, and via different routes.
However, it is hoped that the online tool will prove useful for the health and social care system to plan and prepare for the months ahead.
The figures are updated every 15 minutes from a live system and the data in the article was correct at the time of writing.
The live data can be viewed at: digital.nhs.uk
