News Release
Dec. 11, 2020
The Texas Department of State
Health Services today will update 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 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. 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.
In addition to the probable case
counts, DSHS is adding a positivity rate for antigen tests. This positivity
rate, based on when people were tested, aligns with the most reliable positivity
rate for molecular tests. These positivity rates, which show the percentage of
tests taken in a given period that are positive, provide a consistent view of
the severity of the pandemic over time because they most closely reflect the
conditions when people were tested.
The configuration of the dashboard
will change to improve performance. Some tabs will be combined, and users will
be able to toggle between confirmed and probable cases, fatalities, and active
and recovered estimates by county on a single tab. Case and fatality
demographics will also be consolidated onto one tab.
“These dashboard refinements are
part of our effort to continually improve our insight and response to the
ongoing pandemic,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner. “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.”
After several months of posting
three positivity rates for molecular tests, as previously announced, DSHS will retire the rates based
on when lab results were reported to the state and the legacy rate which used
the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases over seven days divided by the
number of new molecular test results over the same period.
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(News Media Contact: DSHS Press Officer, pressofficer@dshs.texas.gov)
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