The updated dashboard provides outbreak, case, and death numbers for a number of medical and learning settings in the commonwealth.

Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU

Virginia launched a new online dashboard on Friday, providing details on COVID-19 outbreaks in specific state programs and facilities in one centralized location.

The creation of the dashboard follows a bill passed by the commonwealth’s General Assembly that requires the health department to publicly report the names of the facilities where outbreaks are occurring, as well as the number of confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19.

Medical care facilities, group homes, assisted living and long-term care facilities, and public schools, among other state-licensed programs, are all included on the dashboard. Previously, Virginia had only been reporting specific outbreak locations for long-term care facilities and public schools on separate web pages. Outbreaks in congregate settings like prisons, jails, or corrections facilities are not included in the data.

As of Friday, the state reported a total of 1,790 outbreaks across all facilities, with long-term care facilities constituting 664 of those. Between Dec. 6 and Dec. 12, Virginia reported a total of 80 new outbreaks — a weekly record for the pandemic. The state’s health department defines an outbreak as two or more confirmed cases where transmission occurred at the facility.

There are currently more than 50 long-term care facilities reporting an active outbreak, according to the dashboard, and nine public schools — including one school in the Washington region. According to dashboard data, Fairfax County’s Lanier Middle School disclosed cases to the Virginia Health Department this month. However, the number of cases at the school has been concealed.

The data will be updated every Friday.