In 50 Texas Counties Without Cases, Is It a Lack of the Coronavirus or a Lack of Testing?

[douglas9]

When the daily email from state health officials lands in his inbox, Kimble County Judge Delbert Roberts skips straight to the K’s: Will today be the day, he wonders, that his community will join the majority of Texas counties by marking its first case of the coronavirus?

Even though he’s so far made it to the ‘L’ counties without a blip, he’s more resigned than relieved.

It’s “inevitable,” he said, that his 4,408-person county 120 miles northwest of San Antonio will join those with positive cases. “I would not bet a nickel that some of us haven’t had it and got over it.”

Roberts’ Kimble County is a member of a desirable crowd, its numbers dwindling every day: Texas’ zero-counties, 50 in number, the mostly small, rural communities that have yet to confirm a single case of the new coronavirus. They are remaining socially distant and cautiously optimistic, in many cases following the governor’s broad directives but going no further, hoping against hope their status doesn’t change but knowing it likely will.


https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2020/04/24/in-50-texas-counties-without-cases-is-it-a-lack-of-the-coronavirus-or-a-lack-of-testing

[yellowdogintexas]

1. population in these counties is really spread out over large areas

If people are not interacting, their numbers will be lower. When you have to drive 30 miles or more to buy groceries or gas for the pickup you are already pretty isolated.

There are bound to be asymptomatic cases in some of these counties. Testing should be happening

[Shell_Seas]

2. I just blogged about this last week. Texas publishes test numbers per county...

I don't think they are honest about it, but...

I spent hours last week combing over the numbers.

There are dozens of counties who haven't even preformed one test. The combined population is over 80k.

Then there are areas like the panhandle and East Texas who have had limited access to tests, and the few tests theyv are doing, they are getting back over 40% positive.

Texas prisons have some less than 1,000 tests on all of their 165K inmates, of which 65% are testing positive.

In top of that, there are a lot of people who have tested positive who the state isn't counting. Like in Anderson county, they've had almost 300 cares, yet the state is reporting 10.

The situation is really fucking bad.

https://livingbluetx.com/2020/04/texas-covid-response/

[LeftInTX]

3. Anderson County is reporting 17 cases

http://www.cityofpalestinetx.com/departments/emergency-mgmt/coronavirus-covid-19-information/

[Shell_Seas]

5. It was 10 on Thursday, regardless, they aren't including the 30+ employees or

The inmates in the state prisons.

[LeftInTX]

6. 300 or 30??

[Shell_Seas]

7. Yea, the inmates and the employees together in Anderson together, including the ones transferred to

Brazoria, would have been over 300.

Most of them were inmates

http://thefacts.com/article_6feee541-d623-563a-95bf-dd579162719d.html

[LeftInTX]

9. You're right

https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/covid-19/offender_mac.html

[Shell_Seas]

10. And they are doing that all over Texas. In dozens of counties....

Some of these counties have outbreaks but don't have and resources so they are just taking the state's word for how many outbreaks you have. Some counties are counting the inmates, some are not. Same with state run homes.

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/22/coronavirus-texas-sslc-disabilities/


There are thousands more cases that are positive the state isn't reporting, and this is aside from the lack of testing.

[Shell_Seas]

8. There's a cluster at the prison in Anderson county. All the local news is reporting it but the state

Isn't counting it.

https://www.kltv.com/2020/04/24/tdcjs-beto-unit-palestine-now-up-confirmed-covid-cases/

[LeftInTX]

4. I think Bexar County is under testing compared to the other larger counties.

We have less cases, 1/2 of the rate of other large counties, but we are testing at half the rate.