How States Are Counting Their Tests Is Providing Misleading Picture Of COVID’s Path

CNN: At Least 4 States Combined Results From Two Coronavirus Tests 
At least four states combined results from two different tests, possibly providing a misleading picture of when and where coronavirus spread as the nation eases restrictions... Virginia, Texas, Georgia, and Vermont have said they've been adding two numbers to their daily totals: viral test results and antibody test results. Viral tests are taken by nose swab or saliva sample, and look for direct evidence someone currently has Covid-19. By contrast, antibody tests use blood samples to look for biological signals that a person has been exposed to the virus in the past. (Karimi, 5/21)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Latest Data Lapse Inflated Georgia’s Virus Test Count By 57,000
After facing weeks of criticism for not being transparent with data about the coronavirus, state officials on Wednesday acknowledged that a test type that does not measure active cases inflated published test counts by 57,000, or roughly 14% of total tests to date. For weeks now, the Department of Public Health has included antibody tests, which can detect if someone once had the coronavirus, with diagnostic tests that measure active infection in its total tally of about 403,000 tests. (Mariano and Trubey, 5/20)

NPR: Florida Governor Defends Firing Of Top Data Scientist
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending the firing of the state's top data scientist tracking the coronavirus pandemic. Rebekah Jones was ousted from her position with the Department of Health on Monday. She says she was let go for refusing to manipulate data to support the state's reopening. When first asked about Jones' dismissal, DeSantis on Monday called it a "nonissue." He said he understood from an email she sent her supervisor that "she was tired and needed a break." (Allen, 5/20)

Colorado Sun: Why Colorado Likely Won’t Have An Accurate Coronavirus Death Count For Months, Or Even Years
Across Colorado, there is a mystery brewing in mortality. At least 1,200 more people died last month in the state compared to in April 2019, according to official — though preliminary — figures. But only a fraction of that increase is currently being attributed to the novel coronavirus. So, in a time of unprecedented public health crisis and unprecedented restrictions on travel, what else is killing Coloradans? (Ingold and Clark, 5/21)

In other testing news —

ABC News: Milwaukee Targets Testing In Hard-Hit Minority Communities To Try And Tackle COVID-19 Disparity 
Shortly after Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced the launch of two free testing sites in Milwaukee to address the disparities that minority communities are facing during the coronavirus crisis earlier this month, the lines in predominately Latino and African American communities snaked around the block. “We've seen good response in both African-American and Latino communities and really across the board, Nick Tomaro, public health emergency response planning coordinator for the Milwaukee Health Department said of the effort which was facilitated, in part, by the Wisconsin National Guard. (Smith, 5/21)

ABC News: Buyer Beware? What To Know About Direct-To-Consumer Antibody Tests 
You may have heard a lot about COVID-19 antibody testing recently. In fact, your doctor may have even offered you the option of getting the test. Just because you can get an antibody test, should you? Antibody tests are most useful from a public health perspective to estimate how many people have been previously exposed to the virus, experts say. But they admit that for individual people hoping to use the tests to make better decisions about their health, antibody results may be less helpful, at least until questions around their accuracy are resolved and scientists learn more about recovered COVID-19 patients. (David, 5/20)