WASHINGTON CO. EMC EXPLAINS NEW DSHS COVID-19 DATA
New COVID-19 data reported by the state seeks to give the public a better idea on how many people have had a case of the virus.
On December 11th, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) began reporting probable cases alongside confirmed cases.
According to Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Bryan Ruemke, whereas a confirmed case is defined as someone who tests positive for the virus through a molecular test, a probable case is someone who has a combination of COVID-19 symptoms and a known exposure to someone who tested positive, but is not confirmed to have had the virus themselves.
Ruemke said probable cases can be determined through a positive antigen test or by someone having symptoms and a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 without any other likely diagnosis. He said DSHS has been tracking probable cases for quite some time, but only just began reporting them this month.
Previously, the number of active cases, recoveries and deaths would equal the confirmed case total, but now the three tallies provide an estimate to include probable cases, which factor in cases from the beginning of the pandemic.
Ruemke believes the probable case numbers can be “very confusing” and “very unreliable,” as the likelihood of a probable patient actually having COVID-19 is around 50-50.
According to Ruemke, both active and recovered case numbers factor in probable cases. This has led to discrepancies between county and state data when the county reported case numbers in the past, because while the county only reported confirmed case totals, the state included probable cases.
As of Tuesday, DSHS reported an estimated 190 active cases in the county, along with 1,101 recoveries and 58 deaths. Total confirmed cases are reported at 1,112, and probable cases at 237.
Click here to view the DSHS COVID-19 dashboard.