Release Notes: COVID-19 U.S. State by State Infographic - July 14, 2020 - Pier Digital - Helping Companies Navigate the Digital Landscape

By Rich Pierle COVID-19 Resources July 14, 2020

Release Notes: COVID-19 U.S. State by State Infographic – July 14, 2020
Document Link: Pier Digital COVID-19 Info Project V20.pdf

Over the weekend, Florida set a new record for most cases in a single day (15,300), easily surpassing New York’s worst day (April 15: 11,434), Texas’ worst day (July 9: 11,612), and California’s worst day (July 5: 11,786).

The testing delays in Florida and other states are making headlines. Not only are people waiting for days to hear their results after getting tested, but getting one in the first place can take several days on its own. With all this in mind, it might be surprising that Florida (and the US as a whole) is doing more testing than ever before.

On June 1st, Florida performed approximately 25,000 tests. By June 28th, this number had risen to over 41,000. Could the increase in testing account for the increase in observed cases?

The answer is no. On June 1st, Florida reported 667 new cases, and on June 28th, they reported 8,530. This is not a proportional increase.

Selecting a different time period offers a contrast that ends up underscoring the point. In the month of May, cases in Florida were very stable. On May 1st, 1,038 cases were reported, and on May 31st, 739 were reported. In the meantime, infections hovered around 750 on a consistent basis. Over 1,000 cases were only reported two more times in that period, and some noise is to be expected. If it makes a difference, there were four days on which there were fewer than 500 new infections.

During May, testing not only increased but did so at a greater rate than during June. About 12,800 tests on May 1st nearly doubled to the previously mentioned 25,000 a month later. Clearly, increased testing doesn’t explain the spike in cases, which can instead be attributed to greater true spread.

Now, some unknowns do remain, especially concerning the effect the testing delays will have on case numbers. For example, when a test is positive, is that case counted toward the day it was taken or the day the result was recorded? (States have, on many occasions, revised numbers from previous days.)

One worry is that the world will have to wait another week to observe case trends. People have frequently cited 2 weeks as the normal delay between spreading events and the corresponding increase in cases. If the test is delayed a week, 2 becomes 3. I hope lawmakers and elected officials don’t fall into the trap this could cause. If there’s no spike in cases 2 weeks after a potential spreading event, people might start to think it’s safe after all, which may not be true.

Ideally, these testing issues will be fixed now that they’ve been so highly publicized. But we have to remember that tests don’t stop the virus. Recording it helps, but observing precautions helps more. We’ve seen safety measures work before, and the direction this pandemic goes is, at this point, our collective choice.

Pier Digital COVID-19 Additional Resources

For more COVID-19 Resources and Insights, check out Pier Digital’s Podcast – Episode 4 – With an interview with Dr. Shakthi Kumar, Founder and CEO of Beacon Health Sciences in Summit, New Jersey about how to reopen business safely during COVID-19. Beacon Health Sciences is a board-certified medicine and multi-specialty practice in Internal Medicine, Pulmonology, Infectious Diseases, Metabolic Health, Clinical Nutrition, Genomics and Pediatrics that has been in the frontline providing COVID-19 related services, including free care to over 800 first responders in various communities.

Dr. Shakthi Kumar has over 20 years of experience in healthcare and patient wellness. He was recently awarded “Most Innovative Service Provider” by Health Network.

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