Some additional details about the data
We use the NHS pathways data reporting potential COVID-19 cases in England. These data include all reports classified as ‘potential COVID-19 cases’ notified via calls to 111, 999, and 111-online systems. These data are not confirmed cases, and are subject to unknown reporting biases. They likely include a substantial fraction of ‘false positives’ (cases classified as potential COVID-19 which are in fact due to other illness), as well as under-reporting (true COVID-19 cases not reported). Last, as these data are using self-reporting, it is likely that individual perceptions as well as ease of access to the reporting platforms impact the observed numbers.
For a discussion of how these data can be interpreted and associated caveats, see this article (under review). A shorter version can be found online on this post.
The NHS pathways data used on this website are publicly available from the NHS dashboard and stored within a folder in Thibaut Jombart’s repository.