The Tribune

TWO local businessmen launched a new website this week to allow Bahamians to easily track the COVID-19 pandemic through customisable graphs.

Seeing a need for comprehensive and easily-understood data on the virus, Ash Henderson and Ben Jamieson developed the website cv19BS.com to provide an interactive look at the virus throughout the country.

Mr Jamieson, founder of local web design company Thyme Online Ltd said in a press release: “As a web application developer for the past two decades, I knew I had the ability to build a website to provide up to the minute and historic information on a daily basis, I just didn’t have the data. Luckily Ash, a long-time friend and colleague, had been compiling meticulous spreadsheets since the start of the pandemic. I knew we were on to something.”

The two built the website which they say will be updated daily, in their own time, and Thyme Online has donated the hosting space to keep it online. Initially fairly simple, the website includes interactive charts, allowing visitors to visualise the COVID19 spread throughout the islands in myriad ways, the creators said.

Mr Henderson, a Rotary member and marketing insider, said of the project, “As a citizen and as a parent, I am constantly worried about the spread of this virus and how it affects our nation. I’d been compiling the raw data since day one, but had no real way to make it useful to others. “When Ben and I came up with the idea for the website, it made total sense - he had the web development expertise, and I had the analytical skills to make it work. Now we are on a par with other nations who have fully interactive COVID-19 dashboards to give their citizenry a way to visualize the threat of this pandemic.”

The website will be updated daily as soon as information is released by the Ministry of Health, the creators said.