How Many COVID-19 Tests Have Been Conducted in Escambia County to Date?

According to our latest figures provided by staff as of Close of Business (COB) yesterday, the daily breakdown of tests (above) indicates that as a community there has been a total of 2,404 tests for COVID 19 conducted since March 5th.

But here we go with the opaque data........Early last week, the Florida COVID-19 dashboard listed a data point "total tests" in their Escambia County testing information column.

That is now gone, no longer listed.

As of this morning, the state Department of health Dashboard for Escambia County only lists "results" for a total of 446 tests.  (and the positive and negative results now have to be added manually to get the total number of tests administered.)  Nevertheless--this data is wrong.  There is an outstanding delta between the tests we know we have conducted and what is being reported.  And it's a big number, 1,958 tests with no results yet reported.

Where are the results for these other 1,958 tests that have been conducted over the last month in Escambia County?

Why are these results not being shared on the dashboard?

Are the individual patients that have been tested being given their results separately from the DOH?

Are the hospitals sharing results with patients and the DOH in real time, or is there a lag?  Are the hospitals NOT sharing the test results they get back and disclose to patients?  If not, why?

And why are the tests still taking so long to get back from the lab?---------especially since we were told 8 days ago that Sacred Heart Hospital has a 4-hour test capability on site now that can push  a minimum of 50 test results daily out?

Too many questions are going unanswered, and the lack of transparency is feeding insecurity among a lot of people here.

Statewide Test Glitches Add to Student, Teacher Anxieties

Testing statewide since Monday for the new Florida Standards Assessment has been a train-wreck.

Locally, many students logged on, began to complete the test, and then were booted off of the system.  Others could not even log-on to the system in the first place.  Sadly, many students that started the test and then were knocked off the system and then re-logged in--found to their dismay that all their previous work was gone.  Poof!

So anxiety levels among students have been rising, and for teachers and administrators, anxiety and frustration is turning to anger.  At one local high school alone, 28 Substitute teachers were brought in to help proctor the test that "didn't happen" due to a glitch in the testing platform.  Those substitutes, and all substitutes district-wide that were hired as proctors will still have to be paid, and they'll be paid again today as they come again to our schools and we "try again."  A unnecessary WASTE of taxpayer money due to deficient planning by the state.  What more can be said?

DOE BOTCHED this test roll-out, and they are costing local districts time, energy, and money.

More importantly, DOE are making the environment for students taking these tests that much more uncomfortable, and for this alone there is no compensation that can ameliorate this damage.

According to our Superintendent, Malcolm Thomas, we will again try to administer these tests today, Thursday March 5th.  Hopefully the platform will work this time and we can get this battery of tests put behind us.

Meanwhile, national media outlets are weighing in, with the Washington Post calling this "Florida's Testing Disaster"

..just what we needed, more negative press.