Florida department of health exposed for massively inflating COVID-19 positivity rate

Orlando news station WOFL-TV has uncovered a major discrepancy in Florida's coronavirus statistics.

According to WOFL, the Florida Department of Health has said that "countless" coronavirus testing sites across The Sunshine State have reported a near 100% positivity rate — which means every single person tested was positive— while other laboratories have reported extremely high positivity rates.

But reporters for WOFL reached out to many of those testing sites — and discovered the official figures do not reflect reality.

Image source: WOFL-TV screenshot

For example, state data showed that Orlando Health, a local hospital, had a 98% COVID-19 positivity rate. But when WOFL reached out to the hospital, hospital officials said their positivity rate is only 9.4%.

State reports also claimed Orlando VA Medical Center had a positivity rate of 76% — but the hospital told WOFL its positivity rate is only 6%.

The Florida Department of Health blamed the discrepancy on labs they claim are not immediately reporting testing results, and the fact that some labs were apparently not aware that they were required to post negative test results as well as positive test results.

"The Department immediately began working with those labs to ensure that all results were being reported in order to provide comprehensive and transparent data," a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health told WOFL. "As the state continues to receive results from various labs, the Department will continue educating these labs on proper protocol for reporting COVID-19 test results."

The revelation is especially significant right now as Florida experiences a surge in cases. The mainstream media is dedicating special attention to Florida, suggesting that its early reopening is responsible for the spike.