As COVID-19, the pandemic spread by the Coronavirus, becomes a bigger threat every new day, Makerere University has set up a website to keep the public updated on the outbreak. This website is a resource to help advance the understanding of the virus, inform the public, and brief policymakers in order to guide a response, improve care, and save lives.
The site has a ‘News & Info’ section that includes articles on the pandemic – especially on how to be ready for it – as well as relevant news on updates and developments on its spread and measures put in place. There is also a frequently asked questions section where a number of suggested answers to most of the doubts on the virus have been compiled.
The site also has a section of resources where the basic details on the virus are mentioned such as the daily situation reports from across the world, how the virus spreads, the symptoms, prevention and treatment, as well as how to beat the stigma that comes with infection.
You can check it out here.
To keep track of the daily infection statistics, the site utilises data from the John Hopkins University Resource.
The website shows a map with circles indicating areas with confirmed infections across the globe. You can click on each one to get a count of infections, deaths, and recoveries. There are also smaller panels on the map with additional data like a list of regions organised from most to fewest cases, a graph of infections over time, and a list of all the countries where coronavirus outbreak has spread.
The tracker is constantly updated with the latest official information as it is available. A section of experts have expressed worry that the true number of infections is much higher than the reported total, but you can keep an eye on the tracker to get the closest estimates.
