Researchers at Linköping University have started using a new technology to predict flu epidemics. A method that has also been used to analyze the corona outbreak, says Toomas Timpka, professor of social medicine.
– Simply put, if the conversations about the flu to the care guide increase, we see that the number of care visits increases two weeks later. We can thus detect eruptions when it starts, theorize about when the peak is reached and then how big the peak will be. These are the three parts.
It is simply a matter of collecting and analyzing information about how many people call 1177 about flu symptoms, and comparing it with data from care registers about visits to, among other things, health centers.
– Data from 1177 is interesting because that is where you first call when you get sick. So you get a little head start by using the data as a good guess, and then using care data and diagnoses as a conclusion. It works well on the flu, and it has worked well on covid-19 as well, says Toomas Timpka.
Source: ICELAND NEWS