Prognosis

Texas Governor Says Positive-Rate Surge Under Investigation

  • Statewide positivity figure plunges after probe is announced
  • Backlog of unaudited test results may be skewing calculations

Aug. 8: States Change the Way They Slow Spread of Covid-19

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Texas officials have launched an investigation into why statewide Covid-19 data showed a record surge in positive-test rates even as hospital admissions and other metrics indicate the virus’s spread is slowing.

A special “data team” has been brought in to examine state health department analyses and calculations, Governor Greg Abbott said during a media briefing in Lubbock on Thursday. Just hours after the probe was announced, the department released a new rate that was drastically lower than any figures posted in more than a week.