Positivity Rate
 

Can somebody explain the meaning and significance of "positivity rate"? Is the the percent of people tested during some specific time period who have Covid? Is it the percent of people who ever had Covid? Is it something else?

The real question is, how does it relate to the percent of the population who at this instant in time have an active case of Covid? It seems to me that's the important thing to know.

Google is your friend.

According to various sources on Google, there is more than one way to calculate positivity rate. And there is no reference as to how it predicts what percent of the population has an active case of Covid. Not everyone with Covid gets themselves tested. Some people without Covid get tested more than once. And it matters whether that rate is reporting for one day or a rolling average for several days.

Maybe an MD can weigh in on this.

And when we know……..then what do we do?
Kind of like chasing rainbows………….."

It's a rate............historical rate, no prediction. :ohdear::ohdear::ohdear:

Go to the CDC site and educate yourself............once accomplished, then what?? :icon_wink:

Why do you think that some random old retired doctor on a community forum will know more about "positivity rate" than the currently employed specialists who update the masses on the CDC website?

None of the reported rates address the issue of the same individual with multiple tests reporting positive results.

For example someone who has tested positive and retests to see if still positive. Hence one person generates multiple infections......when it is not the case....inflating infections, infection rates, positivity rates, new cases, etc.......

You spelled "hysterical" wrong... :1rotfl:

Not sure why you are nasty, but let me help you anyway.

The positivity rate is just a relationship of how many are positive out of those tested.

Nothing to do with the entire population.

Hope your day improves.

Old Bob jus doesn't get it.
It's just a rate based on tests given.
A Positivity Rate as nothing to do with the total population.

It's like asking why he can't get mustard out of a catsup bottle.

:shrug:

Well..........you'd be surprised:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

I'd never consider you to be "random"... :1rotfl:

Our national expert dr. Fauci as flip-flopped many many times so how can you trust a national expert. What the op was asking was is a valid question.

Most people will tell you it's the percentage of people that have been tested in a certain time. That are positive in other words they have certain symptoms of The Big C or it's just a regular cold it's rather a meaningless statistic that governments love to gather. In my mind I would much rather know how full the hospitals are and when will monoclonal treatments be effective against the new or various variance as well as when we will get a shot created 4 future variants

Oh yes the old are the numbers true? good luck on this one guys it’s been debated for the past 2 1/2 years! I no longer care!!!

"Go to the CDC site and EDUCATE yourself"? Is that a joke?