Statistics
Changes to COVID-19 case reporting
January 13, 2022 by Helen Davidson 6 Comments | Category Health and social care
From today, 13 January 2022, in addition to reporting the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 through a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, we will also begin reporting a combined figure for the number of people who have recorded a first positive PCR or an LFD (lateral flow device) test.
This change in reporting will ensure that we continue to provide the most accurate information available, following our announcement that people who do not have symptoms of COVID-19 no longer need to take a PCR test to confirm a positive LFD result.
Where can I access the data?
Headline figures on the updated case definition are available on our COVID-19 daily data webpage with more detailed analysis available on the PHS COVID-19 Daily Dashboard. We will also provide a daily breakdown including:
- PCR only cases
- LFD with confirmatory PCR cases
- LFD only cases.
We’ve updated our data definitions and sources page to reflect the changes.
These new statistics are presented by Public Health Scotland (PHS) as ‘experimental statistics’ which are official statistics that are published in order to involve users and stakeholders in their development and as a means to build in quality at an early stage. The data may also be subject to future revision as the new method for counting combined PCR and LFD tests evolves.
Initially this data will only be provided at a national level. Further work is underway in PHS to disaggregate this data to Health Board and Local Authority level. This should be available for public reporting over the course of next week on the PHS COVID-19 Daily Dashboard.
How does this differ from previous reporting?
Previous reporting on cases was based on PCR tests only, as those with positive LFDs would go on to receive a confirmatory PCR and then be reported in the case count.
We will continue to update the data on PCR tests and cases as previously published on the COVID daily data webpage and spreadsheets to allow users to monitor trends in PCR only cases. The positivity rate we report will continue to be based on PCR tests only.
How does this compare to reporting by other nations across the UK?
The updates to our case reporting in Scotland is in line with the approach in England who also include LFD positives in their headline case count.
You can access COVID-19 data for each nation, and the case definitions currently used, on the UK COVID-19 dashboard.
Please remember…
We encourage everyone to report their LFD test result online so that we can accurately understand and report the prevalence of COVID-19 and allow contacts of those with positive results to rapidly receive the correct advice to prevent onward spread.
Tags: COVID-19, data, health, Scotland, statistics
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Helen
“The existing data on PCR only cases allows users of the statistics to continue to monitor long term trends.”
Does this mean you intend to continue with PCR Only on the OpenData downloads? If so, then I don’t see how this enables the monitoring of long term trends. Understanding total cases (PCR and LFT) and the relationship between hospitalisations and deaths is key to understanding long term trends.
Public Health Scotland are responsible for publishing the open data and are aiming to add combined PCR/LFD data to their open data platform by the end of this week. If you have any questions, you can contact PHS at PHS.Covid19Data&Analytics@phs.scot
The delay in adding disaggregated data to Tableau and OpenData spreadsheets is rendering the data largely meaningless. Specimen Date data is a far more reliable indicator than reporting date which is subject to variation and backlogs.
You say: “The updates to our case reporting in Scotland is in line with the approach in England who also include LFD positives in their headline case count.” This is not the full picture. UKHSA also include LFTs in their specimen date data. You can easily see total tests by Specimen Date. Why are PHS not doing the same?
Thank you for your feedback. PHS continue to develop these statistics, and the new combined LFD and PCR cases figures will be added to the gov.uk dashboard soon. The PHS dashboard continues to be developed, with Health Board and Local Authority breakdowns planned for publication today at 2pm. The existing data on PCR only cases allows users of the statistics to continue to monitor long term trends.
Headline daily cases do not appear on coronavirus.data.gov.uk site.They only report pcr. Gives erroneous impression. Most of phs site relating to cases now useless.
Thank you for your feedback. PHS continue to develop these statistics, and the new combined LFD and PCR cases figures will be added to the gov.uk dashboard soon. The PHS dashboard continues to be developed, with Health Board and Local Authority breakdowns planned for publication today at 2pm. The existing data on PCR only cases allows users of the statistics to continue to monitor long term trends.