Antigen Positive Test Results Now Included in DOH Dashboards

Antigen Positive Test Results Now Included in DOH Dashboards

Beginning December 16th,  the Washington State Department of Health will include antigen-positive COVID-19 cases in the COVID-19 Data Dashboard and the COVID-19 Risk Assessment Dashboard. Since September 30, antigen-positive testing data have been included in a separate weekly report because at the time, we were not able to roll these results into the main dashboards for reporting. With this inclusion, reporting antigen-positive test results will provide a more accurate picture of community transmission and help guide efforts to respond to COVID-19.

Adding antigen positive results will change statewide case numbers but will not change testing data. The dashboard will reflect all positive antigen cases reported since June, when the first antigen tests were reported. These results will appear on the current status, epidemiologic curve, cumulative counts, and demographics data on the DOH dashboard and in the statewide and county case rates on the risk assessment dashboard. Testing data on the dashboards, however, will continue to reflect only results from molecular tests.

While the test results tabs on the DOH and Risk Assessment dashboards are useful tools for understanding how communities are being impacted by the virus, it’s also important to track the epidemiological curve graphs to understand disease activity across the state.

Antigen testing represents a small percentage of all COVID-19 testing in Washington, but DOH expects to see increases in the use of antigen tests over the coming months. Currently, about 5% of all COVID-19 cases are from antigen testing, and the remaining 95% is from molecular testing (including PCR testing).

 

Questions?

Contact:

Laura Hofmann, MSN, RN – Director of Clinical and Nursing Facility Regulatory Services
c: 425-231-4804

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December 16, 2020