Expanded testing confounds COVID-19 case statistics

By Arick Severson

Convenient, at home (or at campus) testing for suspected SARS-COVID-19 infection has increased over time. The delays due to holidays and changes to reporting frequencies by various jurisdictions have made timely and accurate communication of caseloads even less reliable.

For example, Minnesota currently does not include positive results in its data; however, some other local governments have begun programs to receive positive results from individuals. In any case, this development further contributes to underreporting of actual case numbers.