WHO/Europe, 30 June 2021

With the UEFA European Football Championships being played in cities across the WHO European Region, WHO/Europe has launched an “explorer” or monitoring tool providing an overview of the current COVID-19 situation in the Region, with a particular focus on UEFA EURO 2020 host cities.

The explorer is intended as a tool for authorities, organizers and the public to better understand the COVID-19 situation in host cities and assess related risks at a public health and individual level.

The explorer provides: epidemiological trends across the Region, an event-based surveillance system, details of public health and social measures, and tracking of cases of COVID-19 in host countries.

While the UEFA EURO 2020 championships feature a series of large-scale mass gatherings that attract a lot of attention, this summer, thousands of smaller events and gatherings are being held every day across the Region. All these need to be assessed against public health risks, as long as COVID-19 is still spreading in community settings.

With the pandemic far from over, we all need to practice #SummerSense and consider the following:

• If you want to travel, think carefully about the need. If you decide to, do it safely.
• Assess your risks at every step.
• Take precautions, such as cleaning hands frequently, keeping a safe distance and wearing a mask.
• Avoid the three Cs: settings that are Closed, Confined or Crowded.

Insights at the click of a button

The explorer offers a new style of dashboard, providing specific information around a major sporting event. By selecting a stadium, users can zoom in on specific locations, providing a 7-day incidence rate as well as a trending indicator. A news link provides users with a short extract, describing developments in hosting communities associated with matches.

A public health and social measures (PHSM) tab provides detailed timelines of countries’ responses and epidemiological situations, with data informing the explorer taken from publicly available sources; governments; international, national and regional authorities; and the media.

A tool to manage your own “risk”

Different stakeholders can use this consolidated information for different purposes:

• Private citizens can use it to consider risks and benefits while planning travels and/or visiting venues.
• Local public health authorities can use it to manage and calibrate their PHSM to keep people safe and communicate about possible risks.

By consolidating this information for public access, the explorer helps increase transparency and trust in national and international health authorities, essential elements in the fight against COVID-19.

Digital solutions to health

Digital health is 1 of the 4 flagships, linked to the European Programme of Work 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”. Digital solutions have the potential to transform health care in the Region, improving delivery of care and supporting health authorities with innovative solutions to health issues.

Original article here.