Kemp says Georgians can be ‘confident’ in COVID-19 data after issues discovered
In an hour-long press conference Thursday afternoon, Gov. Brian Kemp and other officials assured Georgia residents that they can trust data reported by the state’s health department and pledged transparency moving forward following the inflation of state testing totals and a recent set of documented errors.
Kemp and Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey told reporters that the state would own up to any errors it makes in the reporting of coronavirus data and asked for the public to be patient.
“I have said from the very beginning that we are making decisions based on data, science, and the advice of public health officials like Dr. Toomey,” Kemp said. “We are also committed to full transparency and honesty as we weather this healthcare crisis. Georgia families, businesses, local leaders, and the press deserve accurate data.”
The data
The latest data integrity issue was reported by McClatchy Wednesday which revealed that Georgia health officials were counting viral and antibody tests among its tally of total tests performed. Those two tests are not the same. Viral tests check for current infections while antibody tests identify past infections.
Of the more than 400,000 tests performed, at least 57,000 are antibody tests.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last week on a chart that depicts new confirmed cases in counties with the most infections. Dates were out of chronological order and appeared to show a downward trend in cases.
The state health department corrected the graphing issue and placed a disclaimer on its website stating that total testing numbers include antibody tests. State health officials have said the antibody testing will be removed from the viral testing data.
“I want people to know they can be confident in the data,” Kemp said Thursday. “But also, look we’re not perfect. We’ve made mistakes. When we do that, we’ll own that, change it and make sure people are aware of that.”
Kemp also said he continues to look at “a lot of data points,” and that decisions are based on more than just one point.
The state health department will implement more data accuracy checks, Toomey said.
“Public health data are not a simple process,” she said. “This is an unprecedented ask ... but at the same time this is a time where we need the public’s trust and we won’t have the public’s trust unless we can assure them that these data are accurate, timely and do represent what is going on in the community.”
Tracking cases and more testing
State health officials have conducted case interviews with more than 3,300 patients and identified nearly 9,000 people who came in contact with COVID-19 infected patients.
By Monday, a total of 500 contact tracers will be employed by the department. A remaining 500 will be employed by mid-June. More tracers could be hired if needed, Toomey said.
“It is the cooperation of the community that will make this effective,” she said. “This will be the key.”
Kemp also told reporters Thursday that CVS Health is opening 23 new drive-thru testing sites across Georgia to expand the state’s testing capacity.
As of 3 p.m. Friday, Georgia reported 427,249 tests, but the state website now includes a disclaimer that antibody tests are included in the count. State health officials reported 41,218 coronavirus cases and 1,785 deaths.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 6:49 PM.