Hawaii’s Coronavirus Count Rises As State Adds ‘Probable Cases’ To Its Total…Epidemiologists say including the unconfirmed cases will provide a better picture of how the coronavirus is spreading in the islands.
Hawaii added a one-time bump of 1,600 cases to its total coronavirus count on Wednesday as officials began incorporating so-called probable infections that were never confirmed.
The move, health officials said, was aimed at providing a more accurate portrayal of COVID-19’s prevalence in the state and adjusting for an anticipated increase in the use of rapid antigen tests that are considered less accurate than the state’s preferred molecular-based tests.
People with a known exposure, symptoms, or who had a positive rapid test are considered by officials to be probable cases. Only those who test positive with a molecular-based PCR test are logged as a confirmed case.
