Nevada shifts to report COVID-19 numbers once a week

Nevada will no longer report COVID-19 metrics daily, ending a reporting process that started at the onset of the pandemic two years ago, state officials announced Thursday.

“We know that we need to start moving in the right direction,” state biostatistician Kyra Morgan told reporters Thursday afternoon. “The way that we’re looking at this data current is just becoming a little bit obsolete. And we need to shift and make sure that we’re looking at the data in the way that makes the most sense for long-term surveillance.”

The state Department of Health and Human Services has maintained a dashboard that typically updates each day in the late morning. That dashboard will be undergoing major changes in addition to only updating once a week, on Wednesdays, Morgan said.

For one, the state will no longer report test positivity rate, a metric that Morgan called “obsolete” because of the significantly decreased demand in testing. Because at-home test kits are so accessible, state officials believe that the reported test positivity rate is higher than it should be, as people who seek tests tend to be those who are already experiencing symptoms and are more likely to test positive.

The state will also be getting rid of the “county tracker” tab on the dashboard.

Numbers will update normally on Friday before the change goes into effect next week. Local health agencies, such as the Southern Nevada Health District, will also begin updating once a week, also on Wednesdays.

“The Health District is committed to gathering, analyzing, and reporting local COVID-19 data to assist with and direct the ongoing COVID-19 response,” the health district said in a statement confirming it would shift to weekly reporting. “Data are integral for anticipating new trends, identifying emerging variants, planning ongoing vaccination and testing initiatives, and keeping the public and response partners informed.”

Since the pandemic began, the state has reported numbers each day on its dashboard. But numbers have dropped drastically over the past two months, as the omicron-driven surge receded throughout the county and state. That led Gov. Steve Sisolak to rescind the state’s mask mandate, even though no county had met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s criteria initially needed to do so.

With most mitigation measures lifted, the state and county have dealt with numerous issues regarding its COVID-19 data in recent weeks. There have been disconnects between different metrics and delayed reports, and Morgan noted that “behind the scenes” issues had partially caused the decision that was announced Thursday.

It wasn’t immediately clear what the new dashboard would look like, but there will now be significantly less data for media members and resident to look at.

“That absolutely is a concern,” Morgan said. “Anytime we’re reducing the frequency of public-facing information, it’s a give and take. In this case, what we’re gaining from making these changes is a more accurate way of looking at the information.”

Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.