Massachusetts COVID-19 data will be released once a week rather than daily starting next week, the state Department of Public Health announced Friday.
The COVID-19 Interactive Data Dashboard offers a wealth of information about virus cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccinations. Most recently it has been updated Monday through Friday, with weekend numbers reported as a total on the following Monday or Tuesday. Prior to that, it provided updates seven days a week.
"As the pandemic has continued to evolve, so too have our data needs," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown said in a media release. "The changes taking effect next week are part of our ongoing efforts to adapt to the pandemic and focus on the metrics most useful at a given time."
More COVID-19 news
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Starting July 11, the dashboard will update once a week on Thursdays. Information on contact tracing and clusters will be removed, as it is no longer "representative of the current situation," public health officials said, as well as data on higher education, due to a decrease in surveillance at those institutions. The weekly vaccination report will be released on Wednesdays rather than Thursdays, while the doses administered table, which is currently offered Monday through Friday, will be consolidated into the weekly format.
Historic data will still be available, officials said.
According to the most recent update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of COVID-19 transmission in Massachusetts is up in the Boston area and most of eastern Massachusetts.
DPH said it continues to monitor the virus and its impacts and will still have the ability to post more frequent updates if the need arises.
