Will ensure COVID-19 data is as accurate and complete as possible
Data is the tool that drives decisions for public health. And it has been vitally important to inform our decision-making process during the pandemic. As we continue to provide the highest quality, transparent data, today, DHS announces we are ramping up data cleaning efforts as decreasing cases have allowed for increased capacity to focus on data quality.
DHS and local public health agencies have been prioritizing data access to the public as quickly as possible to ensure transparency throughout the pandemic while also performing quality assurance. As declining cases have allowed for increased staff capacity, an enhanced focus on data cleanup is under way. This includes reviewing current and past case and interview data to ensure it is accurate and complete, and duplicate records are merged. Data cleaning efforts also include correcting positive case status from “confirmed” to “probable” if there was a positive antigen result instead of a confirmed PCR result to determine presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. These efforts are similar to routine annual data cleaning efforts that occur for all communicable diseases.
