And they are at it again:
Georgia’s COVID-19 positive rate is higher than what state reports. Here’s why.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ledger-enquirer.com/news/coronavirus/article242831786.html"A representative for the Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed Monday that data on its website listing the total number of tests performed includes both antibody and viral tests for the novel coronavirus. The two tests are not the same. Antibody tests tell signs of previous infections while viral tests identify those who are currently infected.
“You’re putting apples and oranges together and calling them oranges,” said Dr. Harry J. Heiman, a clinical associate professor at Georgia State University’s School of Public Health. “You’re mixing two different tests. ...All that does is over-inflate the testing number.
“If anything, it skews those numbers to make it appear like the level of disease relative to testing is actually dropping much more dramatically than it is.”
The acknowledgment comes as Gov. Brian Kemp and other state officials have touted the state’s expanded testing and the declining rate of positive cases over the past several weeks as Georgia works to fight the spread of COVID-19.
Nancy Nydam, a spokesperson for the Georgia health department, said the state received its first antibody test results on April 16.
But it’s unclear how much of the state’s recent testing increases can be attributed to antibody testing. Nydam was unable to provide McClatchy with the number of total antibody tests performed in Georgia since mid-April."
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