Weekly report to chart Isle of Man winter illness rates

The reports will be released on the government website each Friday

New weekly reports tracking the levels of respiratory illnesses on the Isle of Man will be published, the public health directorate has said.

The rates of Covid, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus will be included in the documents.

The data will be based on information collected from GP surgeries and the out-of-hours Manx Emergency Doctors Service.

The reports will be published on the government website each Friday.

It follows the scrapping of weekly public health Covid surveillance reports in August after free PCR testing and home testing kits for the virus were abolished for most people on the island.

Hugo van Woerden, interim director of public health, said the surveillance of the illnesses would highlight "any sickness trends this winter".

The information gathered would act "as an early warning for the island's healthcare system to protect against seasonal pressures and monitor potential future threats from other viruses which may cause a risk to public health," he said.

"We hope these will be useful to the general public too, when taking responsibility for their own response to the levels of illness on the island."

A public health spokesman said Covid mortality data would also be included in the reports once the methodology had been agreed.