Is Reduced Testing Impacting the Accuracy of COVID-19 Case Numbers?
As many Americans begin to take a collective sigh of relief after an arduous year of living through a global pandemic, a decline in COVID-19 testing in the South and Midwest has some public health experts wondering if case numbers are going underreported. While case numbers in Kansas and Alabama continue to decrease, these states and others like it are testing fewer people. According to the New York Times, Kansas tests about 60 people per 100,000 every day, while New York is testing 1,200 people per 100,000 on a daily basis. Public health officials suggest that asymptomatic individuals or those with mild symptoms may be going undetected in states with low testing, making it difficult to ascertain accurate case numbers. Click here to read more.