School covid-19 cases in doubt

DHEC unclear on how many students, teachers are infected

Posted 9/15/20

By Jerry Bellune 

JerryBellune@yahoo.com

A state lawmaker has joined the Chronicle in calling for specific covid-19 test report disclosure.

In reporting on covid-19 cases among …

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School covid-19 cases in doubt

DHEC unclear on how many students, teachers are infected

Posted

By Jerry Bellune 
JerryBellune@yahoo.com

A state lawmaker has joined the Chronicle in calling for specific covid-19 test report disclosure.
In reporting on covid-19 cases among students and teachers in Lexington County, health officials have not given specific numbers for 5 or fewer cases.
Rep. Chip Huggins has asked Gov. Henry McMaster’s office for more specific numbers.
“Hopefully this can be figured out so there is no misunderstanding or miscommunication,” he said.
The Department of Health & Environmental Control had reported finding covid-19 cases in 8 Lexington County schools.
DHEC announced Friday:
• Less than 5 student cases at Meadow Glen Elementary, Carolina Springs and Batesburg-Leesville Middle and Pelion High schools.
• Less than 5 faculty cases at Centerville and Lexington Elementary, Dutch Fork Middle and River Bluff High schools. In neither report were exact cases listed.
No cases were reported at other county schools.
The Chronicle asked why DHEC could not be more precise about exact number of cases at each school.
DHEC media relations official Laura Renwick said, “It’s standard disease reporting practice not specific to covid, if there are fewer than 5 cases associated with a facility, to represent this data as “less than 5” or “>5.” 
“The specific number for less than 5 individuals isn’t provided as a standard disease surveillance practice to protect confidentiality, since reporting such a small number of cases could lead to individuals being identified. 
“If a facility were to have at least 5 cases, then “5” or the higher number will appear,” she said.
The Chronicle asked Renwick and DHEC to reconsider this reporting practice.
In an email, we wrote:
“Science doesn’t deal in fishy, squishy numbers. Either there are 2 cases or 202 in our schools.
 “The reporting should be precise. ‘Less than 5’ protects no one’s privacy.
“The public is watching and already suspicious about DHEC’s motives. They don’t care if it is ‘standard disease reporting practice.”
 

DHEC, COVID-19, cases, students, faculty

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