Texas’s drop in testing is part of a larger nationwide trend that’s seen the average number of coronavirus tests fall since July.
Covid-19 testing is a mess in Texas.
More than one-in-five Texans who are tested for coronavirus are positive, the worst statewide rate in the country. But the number of people getting tests has plummeted in the last two weeks, which could understate how widespread the virus really is as schools reopen and hospitalizations and deaths remain near record highs.
That’s left Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in a tough spot, forced to make decisions about reopening his state based on incomplete and possibly faulty data.
Abbott on Thursday said he’s instructed his administration to figure out which numbers can be trusted, why positive tests have doubled this month and what the trends could signal as Labor Day approaches and students start filling classrooms.
“We’re going to have a data team dig deep into it to find exactly what the reason is,” Abbott said.
Public health experts say a number of factors may have depressed demand for tests, including long wait times and changing rules for who is eligible and the effects of Tropical Storm Hanna, which battered the southern part of the state late last month and disrupted services near the border with Mexico.
But the biggest reason may be an apparent false sense of security. The drop off in testing coincides with a decline in infections after Abbott ordered people to wear masks, reimposed seating limits in restaurants and closed down bars again. That worries disease trackers who suspect any positive news will breed complacency and make people willing to ignore the possibility they could be infected without showing symptoms. Without widespread testing, new Covid spikes could pop up and go unnoticed.
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Covid-19 testing is a mess in Texas.
More than one-in-five Texans who are tested for the virus are positive, the worst statewide rate in the country. And the number of people getting tests has plummeted in the last two weekshttps://t.co/fyT7UN0E2x
— POLITICO (@politico) August 14, 2020
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