ST. LOUIS _ Missouri overcounted the number of people it claimed have been tested for COVID-19 by at least 17,000, state health officials said Saturday, raising the percentage infection rate and muddying the state's assessment of the viral spread even as regional officials ease restrictions.
Until Saturday, health officials were lumping together two different types of tests: viral tests that show who is currently sick with COVID-19, and antibody tests that look for signs of past exposure.
Combining the two can give an inaccurate picture of the virus' spread and inflate the extent of testing and tracking of the disease. Experts have consistently emphasized that for states to reopen safely, adequate testing and tracing is needed.
