A global COVID-19 tracker has stopped monitoring government policies but will keep providing updated case and death data, now with a two-week delay in reporting. The system switched its case and death counts from Johns Hopkins University to the World Health Organization’s dashboard on March 10, 2023. Weekly updates will show cumulative totals and daily rates broken down by country, income level, and region, though only the most recent 200 days of data are shown to prevent slow loading. The data in this tool were corrected on March 18, 2024, to clarify that they represent new cases and deaths over a full week rather than the average per day over a seven-day period.
Policy tracker shuts down after 2022
The tracker originally relied on the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker for policy data, which has since ceased updates. The last recorded policy actions reflect conditions at the end of 2022. Three categories of government responses were previously tracked: social distancing and closure measures, economic support policies, and health system interventions. These were monitored at national, income, and regional levels, but that function has now ended. Policy actions data include the measure that was in place for each indicator at the country-level as of the end of 2022, with detailed definitions available in the original tracker’s methodology.
Social distancing rules differed significantly across countries. Some allowed limited exceptions to stay-at-home orders, such as daily exercise or grocery shopping, while others restricted movement to once per week or required individuals to travel alone. Workplace closures ranged from full shutdowns to partial recommendations, with adjustments like mandatory remote work or restrictions on specific industries. Schools operated fully, partially, or entirely online, depending on local rules.
Gathering limits also varied: some countries restricted groups to 10 people or fewer, while others banned all gatherings, regardless of size. International travel controls included screening and mandatory quarantine for arrivals. Under workplace closing policies, partial measures could also include recommendations for remote work while keeping businesses physically open with COVID-19-related operational adjustments, such as staggered shifts or reduced capacity.
Economic and health system responses detailed
Economic measures focused on income support and debt relief. Narrow support programs replaced less than half of lost wages, while broader programs covered 50% or more. Debt relief could target specific contracts or broader financial obligations. For income support, narrow programs might provide flat sums below 50% of median salary, while broad programs ensured replacements of 50% or more. Health system interventions tracked vaccine eligibility—whether access was limited to key workers, vulnerable groups, or the general public—and facial covering requirements, which ranged from recommendations to mandatory use in certain settings. Facial covering policies could also include partial requirements, such as mandates only in crowded or indoor spaces where social distancing was not feasible.
The data source has clarified that reported cases and deaths now reflect full weekly totals instead of daily averages, correcting an earlier misinterpretation. Population estimates come from the United Nations World Population Prospects using 2021 total population estimates, while income classifications are derived from the latest World Bank Country and Lending Groups, and regional groupings follow the WHO’s established classifications. Full historical datasets, including pre-March 2023 Johns Hopkins figures, remain available for download through GitHub, though the live tracker now displays only the past 200 days.
