The Texas Department of State Health Services announced December 11 that new methods of COVID case counting will be implemented for the foreseeable future. An update has been made to the COVID-19 data dashboard to include additional data and to “simplify the layout to improve functionality.” DSHS is adding case counts for probable cases and active cases statewide and by county. Probable cases are those identified through antigen testing or a combination of symptoms and a known exposure without a more likely diagnosis. Active cases are those who are currently diagnosed with COVID-19 and experiencing symptoms. “Reporting probable cases allows Texans to see a more complete picture of how COVID-19 is affecting Texas since both confirmed and probable cases represent active infections. For that reason, they will be included in the estimates of active and recovered cases,” said DSHS. Additionally, DSHS is adding a positivity rate for antigen tests. This positivity rate, based on when people were tested, conforms with the most reliable positivity rate for molecular tests. According to DSHS, these positivity rates provide a consistent view of the severity of the pandemic over time because they most closely reflect the conditions when people were tested. DSHS began reporting percentages of tests that are positive in a given period in September. The update was the result of DSHS’s work to enhance the state’s COVID-19 data in partnership with the Governor’s Strike Force. Each day, over 600 clinical laboratories and testing providers, 600 hospitals, 57 local health entities, and all 8 DSHS public health regions submit data about COVID-19 to DSHS, where it is quickly evaluated and reported to the public to provide the most up-to-date information possible. DSHS primarily relies on the positivity rate calculated according to when people were tested and the specimen collection date, which they say supplies the most accurate view of the pandemic’s effect over time. “These enhancements are part of our continuous effort to improve the information we present,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner. “As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, so must the data we share. Our information must provide the clearest possible picture of what is happening now and what has occurred in the past. The development and increased use of antigen testing to detect current infections prompted the inclusion of probable case counts and the antigen test positivity rate in the data we post daily. The trends in this and other data shape our understanding of the course of the pandemic in Texas.”
