News Flash

For Immediate Release

07/30/2020                        

Phone: 980-432-1800
Website: www.rowancountync.gov/covid-19
Email: covid-19@rowancountync.gov

Rowan County Case Information: https://bit.ly/rowan-covid19-hub

Health Department Releases Percent Positive On Datahub

Today we are adding the statistic for percent positive to our datahub.  It will be included on the “Testing Overview” table, which is at the top of the datahub.  To determine the percent positive, the number of positive cases is divided into the total number of cases.

The datahub was created as a way to share detailed information about Rowan County’s COVID-19 case data that is as accurate as possible.  Since the beginning, we have shared our concerns about the accuracy of the negative case count numbers.  Our first concern was that until recently, it was not required for laboratories to report negative tests to the state.  We were aware that some - but not all - laboratories were reporting negative test results.  We believed that was the reason our negative test numbers were lower than expected.

Our second concern was that there was no existing method in place for citizens to access all of the data. As we reviewed our data published on the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) website, it became clear that our method for capturing negative test results for display on our hub was only capturing a portion of those results.  After conversations with NCDHHS staff, it was determined that the only way we would be able to accurately report negative results would be to report them on a weekly basis. 

Beginning today, we will update the total number of negative tests and the percent positive on Thursday of each week on the datahub.  We will continue to look for ways to improve local reporting and provide the most accurate snapshot of case data in Rowan County to our citizens.

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Contact:
TJ Brown
704-216-8918
tj.brown@rowancountync.gov

Download Media Release COVID-19 - July 30, 2020 (PDF)