COVID-19 Critical Intelligence Unit

Rapid, evidence-based insights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Living evidence Evidence checks Evidence digest Risk monitoring dashboard COVID monitor Intelligence brief

Living evidence

High level summaries of key studies and emerging evidence, reviewed regularly and updated as soon as new evidence and information is published.

Surgical waiting time and waitlist

Approaches to reduce surgical waiting times and waiting lists

Post acute sequelae (long COVID)

Symptoms, assessment and management

Evidence checks

A rapid review outlining the available evidence on a discrete topic or question relating to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence includes grey and peer review literature.

Recently published or updated

View all evidence checks

Epidemiology and transmission

Community transmission and hospital infection, stages of pandemic, immunity, vaccination

Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Asymptomatic, disease progression, ambulance, drugs, community, hospitalisation, recovery, palliative care, death

Clinical models of care

Triage, virtual care, temporary hospitals, ethics

System capacity and evaluation

Infrastructure, hospital capacity, human resources, supplies, monitoring, surveillance, prediction, evaluation, post-pandemic

Evidence digest

We are transitioning the digest to be more focused on significant advances and innovations in healthcare, rather than limited to the topic of COVID-19. Our final COVID-19 digest was released on 14 April. Please sign up to receive our new, reformulated digest.

A summary of new evidence and reports from international sources. The digest produced on a weekly basis.

Subscribe to receive the new weekly reformulated digest

Previous editions of new digest

Previous editions of COVID-19 digest

Risk monitoring dashboard

From Wednesday 30 August 2023, the NSW Health system transitioned from yellow alert to foundational level.

The foundational level is the base level required to continue to protect patients, staff and visitors and underpins all the alert levels used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundational level includes existing infection prevention and control practices, and more information can be found in the FAQs on the Clinical Excellence Commission website.

The NSW IPAC Framework for Respiratory and COVID Safe Healthcare outlines the alert levels used to determine infection prevention and control measures for preventing and managing acute respiratory infections in hospitals and health facilities across NSW.

NSW Health continues to closely monitor and assess the way we respond to acute respiratory infections, including COVID-19, to keep patients, staff and visitors to our health facilities safe.

COVID monitor

The final issue of the COVID-19 Monitor was published by the Agency for Clinical Innovation on Thursday 26 May 2022. Previous editions will remain accessible on this website.

The COVID-19 Monitor provides a snapshot of topical data and graphs – drawn from international and national sources. The content changes in line with emerging themes and current areas of debate and discussion.

May 2022 - COVID-19 monitor 2022-05-26 (PDF 1.2 MB)

Previous editions

Intelligence brief

The CIU Intelligence Brief is a report that focuses on key issues in health. It draws on a range of different types of evidence – research, data and experiential.

Jul 2022 - COVID-19 Update - Omicron variants in NSW (PDF 453.5 KB)

About the CIU

The NSW Health Critical Intelligence Unit provides rapid, evidence-based insights during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its operations focus on systems intelligence, clinical intelligence and evidence integration.

Contact us

If you have a question or would like to contact the Critical Intelligence Unit please email: NSWH-CriticalIntelligenceUnit@health.nsw.gov.au

Enquiries from journalists please email: ACI-Media@health.nsw.gov.au