The Florida Department of Health has admitted a massive error in reporting in which more than 1,000 negative test results from Indian River County kids were not counted in the weekly pediatric COVID-19 case report.
The July 10 report published by the Department of Health reflecting COVID-19 test results through July 9 stated that the total number of people younger than 18 who had been tested for the novel coronavirus in Indian River County was 297, and of those, 118 had tested positive, for a positivity rate of 39.7 percent.
Then the next weekly pediatric report on July 17, with results through July 16, stated a total tested number of 1,351 with 158 positive tests for Indian River County children. That increase of more than 1,000 kids who tested negative, and the appropriate decrease in the pediatric positivity rate to 11.7 percent positive prompted us to dig deeper.
We asked the Health Department for an explanation. Where had all these kids been tested in one week, and why?
We knew that high school marching band camps had recently begun, and that state rules allow pre-season football practices to commence this week. Did the school district test high school athletes and band members en masse prior to these large-group, close-contact extracurricular activities? If so, why didn’t school officials announce that?
Nope, no mysterious school district testing. It was a gigantic reporting mistake by the Health Department. Somehow, they simply missed reporting more than 1,000 negative test results!
“Initially, there was an error in the pediatric reports in which a certain number of negative test results were not included. That error has since been corrected and the current pediatric report available on FloridaHealthCOVID19.gov reflects the most up-to-date data available regarding pediatric COVID-19 cases,” said Health Department spokesperson Stacy Brock.
We still don’t know when these “lost” kids were tested – all in one week, or was the report wrong for several weeks, leaving off these testing statistics numerous times? How many kids really were tested the week of July 10-16?
“The Department remains committed to ensuring that up-to-date data is provided publicly in the most expeditious manner possible,” Brock added.
Pardon us if we’re not impressed with that commitment.
At a critical time when parents and school officials are making gut-wrenching decisions about starting fall classes in-person or online, the least the Florida Department of Health can do is not lose more than 1,000 negative test results from kids.