Sickweather offers market-level flu forecasts

11/8/2018
With cough-cold season upon us, real-time sickness tracker Sickweather is getting more granular with its offerings. The Kansas City, Mo.-based company now is providing market-level forecasts for 50 cities, with more in development, it announced Wednesday.

“As we continue to enhance the Sickweather application and our forecasting abilities, we are able to provide more geographically targeted forecasts,” said Graham Dodge, CEO and president of Sickweather. “The greater the detail, the greater the ability to provide actionable information for our clients and the public as a whole.”

Sickweather said that it maps illness incidence by collecting and processing millions of illness reports monthly, including the flu, cold and allergies, among others. Sickweather said that nationally, it expects flu activity to swell around the week of Thanksgiving, with a steady increase until the first peak of the season in the second week of January 2019.

The company said its market-level insights offered its clients the ability to better plan distribution and marketing of healthcare supplies, including vaccines and OTC medications, as well as planning for retailers and healthcare providers.

“The later, less intense season means manufacturers and marketers of OTC flu relief products will be competing more intensely,” said Laurel Edelman, Sickweather chief revenue officer and sector subject matter expert. “The sales window will be limited to Q1 for most areas of the country, and the number of people in need of remedies is expected to be less.”
X
This ad will auto-close in 10 seconds