Orange County health officials' error led to false coronavirus testing numbers, report says
The mistake led to an inflated statistic for more than a month, according to the Orange County Register.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- An error by Orange County health officials led to some false coronavirus testing numbers, the Orange County Register reported on Wednesday.
The mistake involved the use of both antibody testing data together with diagnostic testing, erroneously adding about 30,000 more tests to the announced total number administered, according to the newspaper.
This led to an inflated statistic for more than a month in Orange County. The error was caught and later fixed, but it did give the appearance that testing was greater and the pandemic less intense in the county than it actually was at the time.
Still, some skepticism is lingering among groups that have called for more transparency.
Meanwhile, hospitalization numbers in the county continue to climb. As of Wednesday, 542 people were hospitalized.
The number of patients in intensive care is also increasing, from 176 to 192.
The county's positive test rate rose to 10.4%, which is higher than the state's desired rate of 8%.
