Collin County commissioners discussed the county’s COVID-19 dashboard during its Aug. 17 meeting. (Screenshot courtesy of Collin County)
Collin County plans to add a disclaimer to its COVID-19 dashboard that says the county has no confidence in the accuracy of the data currently provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Collin County commissioners decided to add the disclaimer to their dashboard during a Aug. 17 discussion about the backlog of coronavirus test results submitted by several commercial labs to DSHS last week.
While the overdue test results are added to the electronic reporting system, some counties receive notification of COVID-19 positive results that were previously diagnosed but not reported to the local health department at the time the test was completed. For this reason, the statewide confirmed case counts and some counties for counties have included some older cases. DSHS works daily with laboratories to facilitate reporting to ensure that local jurisdictions receive timely laboratory reports. Patients were notified at the time of diagnosis through a separate trial, according to state officials.
DSHS already includes a disclaimer on its dashboard for Collin County as well as it for Texas that states “all data is provisional and subject to change.”
County Administrator Bill Bilyeu also said the state does not collect data on recovery from the county and does not remove active cases at the same frequency as Collin County.
“My confidence level in these numbers was already at zero, so now that I hear that we have 100% confidence that they are inaccurate, I think we are doing a service to our community by putting these numbers out and saying, ‘This is what’s happening in Collin County, ” said Judge Chris Hill of Collin County.
Hill initially made a motion to completely remove the COVID-19 dashboard from the county’s website, but later withdrew the motion after further discussion with commissioners.
Commissioner Susan Fletcher made a motion to add the disclaimer to the dashboard.
“Collin County provides COVID-19 numbers and data for the convenience of our residents,” Fletcher said in her motion. “However, because we are made aware of the inaccuracy in state reporting, we must advise that Collin County has no confidence in the accuracy of the data currently provided by the state.”
Their motion was later approved 4-0. Commissioner Duncan Webb was absent from the meeting.
Bilyeu said there was a limited amount of room on the dashboard and suggested adding the disclaimer as the main image on the middle block where the maps of cases by city and ZIP choirs are currently. These cards can still be clicked on by users.
The county council also suggested changing the source for local deaths to DSHS to be consistent with the rest of the dashboard. As of Aug. 17, the county dashboard reported 100 deaths from Collin County Health Care Services, but that agency does not have access to death certificates for people who die outside the province, Bilyeu said. DSHS has that access, however, but Bilyeu said he does not believe the state bureau has received all of the province’s deaths since the state dashboard reported 90 deaths on August 17.
Commissioners have agreed to the change and have a new discussion on the accuracy of the dashboard in the near future.
Collin County previously switched the handling of all new COVID-19 case investigations and contacts to DSHS ‘Texas Health Trace system June 1.
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