Is the Florida Health Department purposely being sloppy and incomplete with their reporting?

Below is the copied page from the Florida Health website, more specifically  THIS PAGE that discusses and provides current statistics concerning the COVID-19 virus in Florida.

I realize FloridaHealth.gov is dominated by health care professionals and not communicators.  I realize they are predisposed to believe that the rest of us lack the ability to understand data.  I realize they are busy with other priorities. And I realize they have an agenda to spoon feed data to minimize public concern.

However, the fact is, their information page on this virus is much less useful than it should be and provides little meaningful data that would otherwise allow the average person to understand the status of testing, the status of spread, the level of severity, and the true level of concern appropriate for the outbreak.

Examples:

It gives three categories of “Positive Cases”.  It does not inform that these “positive cases” constitute only a small fraction of those likely to have the disease, due to the shortage of tests available. Consequently the data given is virtually meaningless, actually very misleading, in understanding the spread of the virus.

Their data does not give any indication of the current condition nor the demographic (age, co-morbidities, location within the state) of those positive cases. This again is just meaningless window dressing, inferring “transparency” but devoid of any meaningful and useful information for the average Florida resident. And no, the HIPPA laws are no excuse for the absence of this information since no names are given and privacy is not violated.

The data provides the number of “negative” test results without providing the total number of tests given.  We can assume that 113 tests were given based on the 13 total that tested positive.  I suppose it is a bit embarrassing and concerning that only 113 tests were given in a state with a population of  over 21 million.   As it stands, the 100 testing negative is not only useless fluff but terribly misleading.  Why were only these (113?) people tested? Were they symptomatic? What about those in contact with these who are asymptomatic? Were any of those tested?

The same can be said of the number of people being monitored:  What is the location, age, condition, etc.?  Why were they monitored?  Did any show symptoms?

C’mon, Florida Health.  You can do better.  Or are political priorities taking precedent over what you report to Florida citizens?

I suspect that many other state “departments of health” are being similarly sloppy or deceptively non-transparent in their reporting.

*****

My own experience:  Nothing can make your blood pressure rise more than the nurse refusing to tell you what your blood pressure is.

*****

Here is the copy and paste from the referenced web page:

---

HomeDiseases and Conditions COVID-19

COVID-19

2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

^{as of 9:15 a.m. ET 3/7/2020}

Positive Cases of COVID-19

7 – Florida Residents

5 – Florida Cases Repatriated

1 – Non-Florida resident

Deaths

2 – Florida Residents

Number of Negative Test Results

100

Number of Pending Testing Results

88

Number of People Under Public Health Monitoring

278 – currently being monitored

1010 – people monitored to date

People Under Public Health Monitoring: The number of people under public health monitoring includes those at risk of having been exposed to COVID-19 who are monitoring their health under the supervision of public health officials.

Florida Cases Repatriated: The United States Department of State officially coordinated the return of a person living in Florida to the United States and those persons are isolated at a federally designated site until healthy. A repatriated case is when the United States Department of State officially coordinates the return of a Florida resident to the United States.

Presumptive Positive: A Presumptive Positive is when a state health lab has a positive test without CDC confirmation.

Confirmed: A Confirmed status is given when the Presumptive Positive sample is then confirmed by the CDC.

COVID-19

• What You Need to Know
• What Travelers Need to Know
• What Your County Health Department is Doing
• Frequently Asked Questions
• School Guidance
• Guidance for Businesses
• Guidance for Health Care Providers
• Planning and Preparedness Resources
• Prevent Respiratory Illness Toolkit
• Guidance for County Health Departments
• Executive Order #2020-51
• Declaration of Public Health Emergency COVID-19

COVID-19 Call Center

• COVID-19@flhealth.gov
• 1 (866) 779-6121
  The Call Center is available 24/7.

---

Action—Prevent Respiratory Illness
Updated 09:41 a.m. March 04 2020
download individual files | download whole campaign