The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) transitioned its COVID-19 case and contact database to Salesforce, Ontario’s Case and Contact Management tool, on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.

With the data migration to the new Provincial Salesforce system, the Health Unit will not be able to update its COVID-19 dashboard until Friday, January 29th at 12 noon. Only limited information about case numbers, recovered cases and the number of additional deaths each day will be available on Wednesday, January 27th and Thursday, January 28th. Even when daily updating of the dashboard resumes on Friday, some of the previously existing fields may not be immediately available.

Prior to the implementation of Salesforce, MLHU used an internal Case and Contact Management (CCM) tool to collect local information about COVID-19 cases. The MLHU CCM tool has also served as the data source for the Health Unit’s daily COVID-19 dashboard, which provides a summary of cases in London and Middlesex County. With the move, Salesforce will become the Health Unit’s new data source for the COVID-19 dashboard. As Health Unit staff adjust to the new system and resume daily reporting, there may be some data fields missing from initial COVID-19 updates, when they resume on Friday. Until Salesforce is fully implemented, adjustments will be made in order ensure as many of the previously populated data fields are available as possible, through the new system.

“We know that it is important that we continue to share the latest information about COVID-19 with the residents of London and Middlesex County,” says Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “With the transition to Salesforce, the Health Unit will align both its data and its reporting with the Province.”

As part of the transition to Salesforce, the Health Unit will be able to use an additional feature of the program to provide virtual notifications to those diagnosed with COVID-19. In addition to a phone call from the Health Unit, individuals recently diagnosed with COVID-19 may receive an SMS text message to notify them of their test results, provide information about self-isolating, and begin collecting information about their symptoms and close contacts; this will help expedite MLHU’s contact tracing efforts as part of the Health Unit’s follow-up with COVID-19 positive individuals. For more information about virtual notifications, visit: www.healthunit.com/covid-19-virtual-notification.

Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit,
519-663-5317 ext. 2469 or 519-617-0570 (cell.)

Spokesperson:
Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex-London Health Unit