CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa announced Wednesday that it will report data in a new process, which will focus on the total number of tests rather than on the individuals tested.
The change will significantly lower the positivity rate of the state as it will divide the number of positive tests by tests taken. Previously, Iowa reported its COVID-19 data on an individual level.
The old method resulted in each Iowan appearing in the state’s data only once, no matter how many times it was tested. For example, if someone took 30 tests, it was tested only once in the state’s number of individuals, and not 30 times.
As a result, the state had higher numbers and a lower positivity rate. But Iowa did not display these numbers.
In October, the state Department of Public Health took a decision to display both the total tests and individuals tested to reflect the challenge.
This change, announced Tuesday, will only focus on the total tests taken. The change is expected to take effect sometime this week.
Director Garcia said he originally wanted to make the change earlier, but it delayed the change because the state department had a boom in business in November.
On the vaccines, Governor Reynolds said Tuesday that the state’s vaccine supply is increasing. She said the state’s vaccine supply would increase to 62,000 doses, which she said was a 24% increase from the 49,000 the state received.
She also said the White House said the Food and Drug Administration would make a decision by the end of February on the emergency consent for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
Governor Kim Reynolds also announced that the state will not continue with the centralized COVID-19 vaccination appointment website for Microsoft. Our KCRG-TV9 i9 investigation unit reported on Tuesday that several provinces are not sure if they would use the website.
Reynolds cited the challenges other countries have faced in vaccinating vaccines and talks with vaccine partners, for the decision not to proceed with the contract.
‘It quickly became apparent that the integration of the many existing registration and scheduling platforms used by some of our public health departments, pharmacies and other vaccine providers would not be possible in time without their current systems, and we wanted to not slowing down the progress we are making, ”Reynold said.
Instead, Reynolds said the state is shifting its focus from building a new system to optimizing the overall registration and scheduling process for Iowans.
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