Why the White House is highlighting virus 'positivity rates'
By Peter Sullivan - 04/11/20 12:35 PM EDT
A key metric is cropping up more and more at the coronavirus task force briefings.
White House response coordinator Deborah Birx on Wednesday and Thursday highlighted what she called the positive rate of coronavirus tests, a figure that helps measure the severity of the outbreak in different parts of the country.
Why is this measure important? While much attention has been placed on the number of tests being conducted, the proportion of tests that come back positive can offer both a broader and more detailed view of the pandemic.
“Epidemiology is a bit like baseball,†two public health experts, Farzad Mostashari and Ezekiel Emanuel, recently wrote in the news publication Stat. “Knowing that a ball player has gotten 134 hits isn’t that informative. What is informative is knowing that those 134 hits were made during 335 at-bats, which translates into a batting average of .400.â€
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https://thehill.com/homenews/coronavirus-report/492311-white-house-highlighting-virus-positivity-rates
