Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Monday November 2nd, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every week day we’re sharing a closer look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of other important things happening in our state. 

 

Today our focus is on test positivity, a key metric in Colorado’s fight against coronavirus, and why this metric isn't necessarily what it appears to be. 

 

Before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to November 2nd, 1918 when, in a parallel to our current fight against the coronavirus, the people in Silverton Colorado were fighting the Spanish flu. On that day The Silverton Standard tallied 129 deaths and perhaps as many as 600 additional cases - a toll roughly equal to half of the town's population. 

 

Now, our feature story. 

 

When the coronavirus pandemic besieged Colorado last spring, Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver and a few of his friends quickly developed a new hobby -- downloading data on the virus’ spread in the state and plugging it into their own spreadsheets for analysis.

 

Weaver is an engineer by training; data is oxygen for him. He said having numbers for Boulder and other jurisdictions at his fingertips provided fast insight into the pandemic. Where was it spreading? Where was it in decline? What could his city do differently?

 

But there was one measurement where Weaver and his friends soon noticed something curious: Test positivity. 

 

Colorado Sun reporter John Ingold is joining us today to talk more about what this means.

 

So John, can you start by explaining test positivity, what is it - what does it mean?

And what in your reporting did you learn about test positivity, are there any issues with the metric that you’ve come across, and if so, what are they?

Are there particular examples of the impact of measuring test positivity in this way?

So, if what’s going on is not actually what’s being reported how does this make a difference, can you talk about the bigger picture here?

Thanks John, and is there anything else you’d like to add before we go?

Thanks so much, John.

Faced with the urgency of the pandemic, there has never been quite such a need for reliable health data in the United States as there is now. But, across the country, actually gathering that data has been a constant struggle. And as John just explained, that includes in Colorado, where Gov. Jared Polis has pledged to lead through data while the state’s data-collection systems have sometimes stumbled behind.

 

Thanks for listening. And, before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:

 

A hybrid approach to school gives students the chance to see teachers and peers in person. But is it also burning out educators? 

-

Democrats are predicting big wins once again. The 3rd Congressional District and a handful of state legislative races will offer clues about the state’s partisan outlook after the 2020 election.

-

Colorado child care centers are seeing a rise in coronavirus outbreaks as disease spreads across the Denver area. And unlike schools, many child care centers have been open during most or all of the pandemic.

-

Colorado election officials are downplaying concerns about Election Day violence and insist voter intimidation has not been a concern, even as a handful of local governments have bolstered election-related safety measures in recent days.

-

Colorado health officials on Friday warned that the state could set a new record for coronavirus hospitalizations as soon as Nov. 10 with the disease continuing its rapid spread.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. 

 

And remember, The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again next time.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Monday November 2nd, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every week day we&rsquo;re sharing a closer look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of other important things happening in our state.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Today our focus is on test positivity, a key metric in Colorado&rsquo;s fight against coronavirus, and why this metric isn't necessarily what it appears to be.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
&nbsp;
Today, we take you back to November 2nd, 1918 when, in a parallel to our current fight against the coronavirus, the people in Silverton Colorado were fighting the Spanish flu. On that day The Silverton Standard tallied 129 deaths and perhaps as many as 600 additional cases - a toll roughly equal to half of the town's population.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Now, our feature story.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
When the coronavirus pandemic besieged Colorado last spring, Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver and a few of his friends quickly developed a new hobby -- downloading data on the virus&rsquo; spread in the state and plugging it into their own spreadsheets for analysis.
&nbsp;
Weaver is an engineer by training; data is oxygen for him. He said having numbers for Boulder and other jurisdictions at his fingertips provided fast insight into the pandemic. Where was it spreading? Where was it in decline? What could his city do differently?
&nbsp;
But there was one measurement where Weaver and his friends soon noticed something curious: Test positivity.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Colorado Sun reporter John Ingold is joining us today to talk more about what this means.
&nbsp;
So John, can you start by explaining test positivity, what is it - what does it mean?
And what in your reporting did you learn about test positivity, are there any issues with the metric that you&rsquo;ve come across, and if so, what are they?
Are there particular examples of the impact of measuring test positivity in this way?
So, if what&rsquo;s going on is not actually what&rsquo;s being reported how does this make a difference, can you talk about the bigger picture here?
Thanks John, and is there anything else you&rsquo;d like to add before we go?
Thanks so much, John.
Faced with the urgency of the pandemic, there has never been quite such a need for reliable health data in the United States as there is now. But, across the country, actually gathering that data has been a constant struggle. And as John just explained, that includes in Colorado, where Gov. Jared Polis has pledged to lead through data while the state&rsquo;s data-collection systems have sometimes<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/03/27/coronavirus-covid-epidemiology-curve-data/"> stumbled behind</a>.
&nbsp;
Thanks for listening. And, before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:
&nbsp;
A hybrid approach to school gives students the chance to see teachers and peers in person. But is it also burning out educators?&nbsp;
-
Democrats are predicting big wins once again. The 3rd Congressional District and a handful of state legislative races will offer clues about the state&rsquo;s partisan outlook after the 2020 election.
-
Colorado child care centers are seeing a rise in coronavirus outbreaks as disease spreads across the Denver area. And unlike schools, many child care centers have been open during most or all of the pandemic.
-
Colorado election officials are downplaying concerns about Election Day violence and insist voter intimidation has not been a concern, even as a handful of local governments have bolstered election-related safety measures in recent days.
-
Colorado health officials on Friday warned that the state could set a new record for coronavirus hospitalizations as soon as Nov. 10 with the disease continuing its rapid spread.
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
And remember, The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.
&nbsp;
Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you&rsquo;ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again next time.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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