GALAX, Va. – On Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Health announced that Galax had 32 more coronavirus cases than Tuesday; however, while factually true, it’s a touch misleading.
Since Aug. 1, the city has only had 8 new cases of COVID-19 among residence, and only two cases in the last 10 days, according to Mount Rogers Health District Population Health Manager Breanne Forbes Hubbard.
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Presumably, she said there are only two active cases in the city, but VDH does not release active/recovery data on COVID-19.
The 32 cases added into Galax’s coronavirus count are backlogged cases from an outside lab that does not report directly to VDH, said Forbes Hubbard.
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She noted that those cases occurred earlier in the summer.
VHD acknowledged earlier this week that there could be backlog data reported in the numbers this week.
For the week of August 16, VDH anticipates an influx of new data. This development is due to some labs beginning to report results electronically as opposed to by fax. These new numbers do not represent new data and will be represented on the day the lab originally reported the results.
Virginia Department of Health
While there is sometimes a lag or backlog in cases appearing on the VDH website, Forbes Hubbard said that all positive cases are notified, investigated, isolated, and contacts traced and quarantined at the time the results are ready.
Galax has had only 8 new cases of COVID-19 since August 1, and only 2 cases in the last 10 days. Thirty-two new cases were reported in Galax today on the VDH website. These were backlogged cases from an outside lab that does not report directly to VDH, and are cases that occurred earlier in the summer. Although sometimes there is a lag or backlog in cases appearing on the VDH website, all positive cases are notified, investigated, isolated, and contacts traced and quarantined at the time the results are ready. The delay in data reporting on the VDH website does not reflect a delay in providing public health care to our community.