COVID Testing Data

Data source: BC Ministry of Health

Date range

January 1, 2020 to most currently available.

Note: With open year data, there is a delay in data reporting (i.e. a latency period of 3-6 months or longer depending on the data source), and, therefore, data in the open year portion are less complete than the closed year portion.

Description

Metadata for test results of de-identified individuals tested for COVID. Each record is a COVID test. Data is extracted from Provincial Laboratory Information Solution (PLIS). The test results are reported as ‘positive’, ‘negative’, ‘indeterminate’, or ‘check result’. The “check result” flag is for internal data checking when the result doesn’t seem to be positive/negative/indeterminate and may require further investigation.

 

Variables available

All fields are available for this data set are Core fields.

Core vs. Non-Core Data

  • Core Data: Some BC Ministry of Health data sets available through PopData and HDPBC are called ‘Core Data’. A Core Data set is a standardized ‘bundle’ of commonly requested variables. A Core Data set may not include ALL the variables available in the data set. For example, some Core Data variables, such as geography or organisational codes, are suppressed to meet privacy legislation requirements.
  • Non-Core Data: Non-Core Data are variables that are NOT included in the standardized Core Data set. Non-Core Data is available for request as an addition to the Core Data set.

For the majority of DARs, requesting access to Core Data ONLY may make the data access approval process quicker and may expedite data provision. Data requests that include Non-Core Data will be subject to regular rather than expedited processes, both for application review and data provisioning.

Please note that the overall data access request is subject to meeting ALL of the Five SAFEs requirements. For more detail on the Five SAFEs, visit the Eligibility and the Five SAFES model page of our website.

download COVID Testing Data all available variables (pdf)

 

Data update schedule

For BC, our COVID Testing data usually has a 1-month lag. 

Approximate data update schedule Complete data up to:
January  December 31 2022
April  March 31st 
July  June 30 
October  September 30


Please note: Our data update schedule depends on when these data are made available to us by the data provider, so the update schedule is an estimation only. 

 

DARs/Projects snapshot

Total number of DARs/Projects currently with PopData:

472

The breakdown:

DARs in preparation/review

69

Projects with amendments in preparation/review

26

DARs in post-approval

31

Projects with data being prepared

32

Projects being maintained
(inc. 9 DASH, 18 DI Program and 3 ODC projects)

289

CaraSpace projects

25

Last revised March 15th, 2024

Need pan-Canadian data?

The Data Access Support Hub (DASH) is a one-stop data access service portal for researchers requiring multi-jurisdictional data in Canada.

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