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Coping with COVID: Change in case count method causes positivity rate to drop in Johnson County

By Madison Parry

Case positivity rate has taken a dip in Johnson County, Kan., the rate dropping from 11.3 percent to 6.6 percent this week after the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment switched how cases are counted, now counting negative retests performed on the same person.

A shift in the way the positivity rate is being calculated in Johnson County, Kan. has resulted in a notable dip in the positivity rate.

This week, the COVID-19 positivity rate fell by nearly half, decreasing from 11.3 percent to 6.6 percent.

The shift is due to a change in how the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment is counting cases, the department now counting negative retests performed on the same person.

An increase in the number of negative tests is what has resulted in an overall lower positivity rate. The method of calculation was made on Monday.

Going by an Oct. 1 update by the county health department to public health recommendations for COVID-19 school learning modes, the current 6.6 percent positivity rate shows that Johnson County is nearly in the green zone.

Page four of the document located here displays a gating criteria chart for schools in the county, showing that a 5 percent or lower positivity rate – a “green” zone – allows for in-person schooling for elementary, middle and high school students.

In a news report by KMBC 9 News, Johnson County Department of Health and Environment Director Dr. Sanmi Areola said the new numbers are meant to clarify trends and not change the recommendations to the public.

With the change in criteria and recommendations listed in the Oct. 1 document, Monday’s change in how percent positivity is calculated is the second time over the span of a week that the health department has altered how they communicate COVID-19 data to residents.