By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — It's still incredibly difficult to track the spread of COVID-19, even when the numbers are good, because there aren't enough tests to know for sure exactly how many people have the virus.
"Our testing capacity is still lacking in terms of the holistic picture, if you will," said Reno County Health Department director Nick Baldetti. "It's encouraging that our percentage isn't necessarily matching with the national growth trend. At the same time, the caveat of testing inventory and capacity at the state is an issue. It's not only for Kansas, but a number of the centralized states in the United States. I would venture to say that we're going to see our growth lag behind greater metropolitan areas in the nation, just simply because of our geographic proximity."
There aren't enough tests and what there are aren't getting to Kansas yet.
"It's going to be awhile before we have a more accurate picture of exactly what the environment is in its totality," Baldetti said. "That's just as much of the challenge, outside of actual presentation of those ill and requiring medical assistance."
There are currently around 50 tests outstanding, but right now, they still are only testing those with serious enough symptoms to be hospitalized or with known risk factors like travel or proximity to previous positive cases. Expanding notifications out to those who have symptoms beyond that requires narrowing down what symptoms you count and that is still nebulous.
"Do we classify only upper respiratory symptoms as those that resemble symptomology, or all with a fever, or both?," Baldetti said. "You're basically describing the challenge that we're having in terms of what we do and do not report, because we also want to be careful to not underinflate or overinflate presentation."
Until large numbers of tests are available, it's still impossible to know who exactly is currently infected, has been infected and has recovered and who has not been exposed.