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Help Me Understand the Testing Percent Positive Benchmark….
I mostly lurk here, but I think this might be a good place to get help with a question. Here in Arizona, one of the three benchmarks for re-opening schools, businesses, gyms, etc. is the percent of positive tests. It is often reported that a high percentage (above 5% is the benchmark in AZ) shows that there isn’t enough testing available and that the virus is not under control. I could understand the purpose of this benchmark if the state were either a) testing everyone they could get their hands on and/or b) testing a random sample in a community, not just people who self-select to test.
In Arizona, there is surely not a lack of available testing. That may have been true six weeks ago, but not now. This is widely reported (not enough people showing up for tests), but I’ll share my own anecdote.