05/09/2020: Lab Advisory: New COVID-19 Data Tracker Website for Laboratories
Audience: Clinical Laboratory Professionals
Level: Laboratory Advisory
New COVID-19 Data Tracker Website for Laboratories
On Thursday, May 7, 2020, CDC published a new COVID-19 Data Tracker website. The site consolidates laboratory test results data reported by laboratories in the United States, including public health, hospital, and commercial and reference laboratories. This website displays a variety of laboratory data:
- Number of tests reported nationally and by state
- Number of positive tests nationally and by state
- Percent of laboratory test results that are positive nationally and by state
The data presented are aggregate COVID-19 data reported to CDC from state health departments and territorial jurisdictions. The website explains that the number of positive tests in a state is not equal to the number of cases: one patient can potentially be tested more than once, and not all laboratory tests are reported to CDC.
In the future, this website will include county-level data.
If you have additional questions, please contact CDC’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Laboratory Working Group at eocevent405@cdc.gov.
Online resources:
- Clinical Laboratory COVID-19 Response Weekly Calls
- CDC’s Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS)
- COVID-19 Information for Laboratories
- CDC COVID-19 website
- Register for CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) notifications, including updates about COVID-19.
Laboratory Outreach Communication System | Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS)
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)