Read on Twitter
There's a false conspiracy theory going around conservative circles: La. is inflating cases by counting ppl multiple times if they take addt'l tests to prove they are no longer infectious
LDH released data today showing both cases & total positive tests that shows that's wrong
LDH released data today showing both cases & total positive tests that shows that's wrong
Up until now, we've only seen "cases." LDH defines a case as as an individual who tests positive for COVID. LDH does not count subsequent positive tests on that person as a new case (barring errors that are corrected on a rolling basis).
How do we know that's the case? New data on positive tests shows there's a lot more positive tests than cases.
39,104 positive tests were conducted in La. by July 15 that did not increase the case count because they were repeat tests, according to LDH data.
39,104 positive tests were conducted in La. by July 15 that did not increase the case count because they were repeat tests, according to LDH data.
If the state was doing what those seeking to downplay the pandemic said they were doing, the case count would have been 131,906 for tests conducted by July 15. It was actually 92,802
Taking a look at a claim that's been in the news lately, Red River Parish accused the state of inflating its case count by counting all positive tests. LDH shot that down saying Red River didn't understand the data they received. https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_e758aab6-c7b9-11ea-835d-7fc4500d4211.html
This is Red Rivers' chart
This is Red Rivers' chart
A particular Louisiana website (which completely ignored LDH's explanation) that's been pushing this conspiracy theory pointed to an identical claim by the De Soto Parish Sheriff's Office just yesterday.
Here's De Soto
Here's De Soto
Again, the process isn't perfect. Every day there's a handful of cases removed from the total case count because duplicates are found. But there's no evidence that LDH is deliberately counting positive tests on individuals who are already known to be positive.
I know this will convince approximately 0 people, but it felt like it should be out there.
