The health department’s partnership with Google aims to streamline how it collects COVID-19 data from healthcare providers. The state’s current system gathers reports from various channels, including fax updates and call-ins, according to a Sept. 4 Public Radio Tulsa report.
“The best medicine relies on the best data,” Oklahoma State Medical Association President George Monks, MD, said in a statement to the network. “As physicians, we are grateful to the Oklahoma State Department of Health for improving the quality and accuracy of their reporting through a system upgrade through their new partnership with Google.”
The health department is also updating the types of COVID-19 tests it will include in reporting. Starting this week, daily total coronavirus cases will include antigen positives, or rapid tests, in addition to standard PCR tests.
Including positive antigen tests will likely lead to an increase in reported cases, which the Oklahoma State Medical Association said will help slow outbreaks in schools, colleges and nursing homes, according to the Public Radio Tulsa report.
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