Oops! CDC erroneously raises COVID-19 level to 'medium' in Washington state county

COVID-19 infection rates in Pierce County, Washington, have risen slightly but are not as high as the Centers for Disease Control has indicated, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Department of Health.

The CDC moved the county’s Community Level to medium Thursday.

The Health Department reported on its website Friday that determination was reached in error due to data processing issues and stressed that the current number of cases is far below the January peak of the Omicron wave.

The discrepancies are due mostly to duplications in the data on hospital admissions. Also, the two agencies use different methods of counting infections, which can cause problems.

The Health Department counts the incidence of infection by the date of a positive COVID-19 test. The CDC counts cases based on the day test results are reported. Any lag between testing and reporting can produce duplications in the CDC system.

This is not the first time the Health Department of Pierce County has challenged data reported by the CDC.

Similar discrepancies occurred in February when the CDC unveiled its county-by-county COVID-19 tracing tool.

The Health Department announced that it is working with local hospitals and the CDC to resolve the discrepancies.

In the meantime, the it urges citizens to continue hand washing, vaccination, staying home when sick, and being tested after exposure to the virus.