Tempe Unveiling New COVID-19 Dashboard

TEMPE, AZ — The city of Tempe will unveil its new, four-pronged COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday night.

The dashboard uses four metrics to track the pandemic: COVID-19 signal trend in Tempe's wastewater; COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people by ZIP code; COVID-19 testing positivity rates by ZIP code; and COVID-19-suspected emergency calls for service.

The new service will be unveiled to the public at the next Tempe City Council meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday.

"We must continue to lean on data to make decisions about our unknown future," Mayor Corey D. Woods said in a statement. "This dashboard will be a tool for our community when it comes to responding to our changing environment."

The decision to add wastewater surveillance comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the practice can, "Provide an early indicator of the presence of, or trends in, COVID-19 cases in a community."

The CDC adds that wastewater data should be used to complement other data, as is the case with Tempe's new dashboard.

“Now more than ever, local government understands its unique role in public health,” said Deputy City Manager Rosa Inchausti in a statement. “This new dashboard is a commitment to partner with our community for health, safety and economic confidence.”

The new dashboard is meant to give the public a better idea of where current COVID-19 hotspots are in the city, which allows public health agencies to better confront the virus.

"At the peak of the pandemic, Arizona’s fire service was operationally and logistically stressed. Tempe Fire Medical Rescue has used this and other data to assist us in preparing for and responding to emergencies, educating residents, establishing testing sites and providing PPE in areas with increased COVID trends," said Fire Medical Rescue Chief Greg Ruiz in a statement. "The data has significant value and will continue to inform decision-making and help us keep our emergency responders and community members safe."

To view the new dashboard, visit the city of Tempe's COVID-19 website.