A U of G expert in infectious disease modelling who is tracking the spread of the new coronavirus is contributing to a new website that illustrates the virus’ spread across Canada.

Prof. Amy Greer, Department of Population Medicine, has been working alongside epidemiology colleagues from the University of Toronto’s school of public health. Together, they have just launched an online dashboard called Covid-19 in Canada.

The site details the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Canada, the number of Canadians who have been tested and the number who have recovered.

The page also includes a graph that illustrates how case numbers are increasing, as well as a map of where the cases have been found across Canada.

Greer’s own team of graduate students help to gather data from each of the provinces and territories every day in order to publish daily updates every evening.

Greer, an expert in infectious disease modelling, is currently working with the U of T team in a newly federally-funded research project to forecast the near-term course of the COVID-19 epidemic.

As part of the $330,000 project, she and colleagues are building disease spread simulations to help guide Canadian health agencies and policy makers as they decide on measures needed to limit the spread of the virus.

One of the aims of their project is to provide accurate information to Canadians in an easy-to-understand format to help reduce the fear, xenophobia and anxiety that are often associated with emerging diseases.

Greer holds the Canada Research Chair in Population Disease Modelling and was directly involved in the federal public health response during the 2009 influenza H1N1 pandemic. She is an associate professor in the Department of Population Medicine at U of G’s Ontario Veterinary College.