WilCo Coronavirus Death Count Downgraded After Calculation Change

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX —A methodology change in counting cases of the coronavirus and related deaths downgraded the Williamson County historical fatality count on Wednesday by 20 — from a reported 99 cases to 79.

Williamson County and Cities Health District officials had placed the death count at 99 on Monday following the deaths of five more county residents from the respiratory illness virus. At the time, health district officials said two men in their 70s, another in his 90s and two women in their 80s had succumbed to the illness.

The five deaths reported in a 24-hour period tied for the most coronavirus fatalities reported in a single day in Williamson County recorded on July 15. On July 23, health district officials reported 10 cases for that day, but insisted the numbers represented diagnoses detected between July 15-22 but hadn't been recorded due to what county officials described as a "backlog."

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But a recent change in the way the Texas Department of State Health Services calculates fatalities has had the effect of lowering the death count in Williamson County. Officials at the state agency on Monday said they now would rely on death certificates rather than local reports to achieve death counts from coronavirus.

Reached by Patch for an explanation on the local effect to the methodology change, county spokesperson Connie Odom said: "The release we sent out yesterday on no longer sending out the number of deaths explains that the Texas Department of State Health Services is now using death certificates to determine COVID-19 deaths," Odom explained in an email to Patch. "Death certificates can take between a week to more than three months following a death to be issued, resulting in a lag in the count between the state and local health district."

On Wednesday, county officials again explained they no longer would issue separate news releases alerting to the latest deaths as they had done since the onset of illness. Officials cited the methodology change in justifying an end to that practice. The county previously distinguished itself in its coronavirus reporting by providing advisories each time deaths from coronavirus emerged, providing the victims' gender and ages with attendant words of comfort from Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell. The practice is set to end by month's end.

"Williamson County will no longer be issuing press releases giving ages and genders of residents who die due to COVID-19 as reported by the Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD). The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is now using death certificates, instead of local health district reports, to count COVID-19 fatalities. This standardizes death reporting across the state, but will cause the number of deaths on the county dashboard to be out of sync with the Texas DSHS count until the WCCHD fully transitions to the DSHS reporting method, which will happen this week."

Officials expounded on the move: "Death certificates can take between a week to more than three months following a death to be issued, resulting in a lag in the count between the state and local health district. In counties that do not have local health departments or districts, a death certificate is the only method to verify a death attributed to COVID-19, causing an increase in numbers under the new reporting system."

While news releases specifically addressing deaths will no longer be issued, health officials noted the data will be input into the statistics contained in the health district's dashboard for perusal. Moreover, the health district offers emailed coronavirus updates sent to interested residents Monday through Friday, officials added. Those seeking such updates can sign up to receive them via the dashboard page, officials said.

While the death count was downgraded as a result of methodology changes, the new calculus had the opposite effect statewide. Texas Department of State Health Services officials said in its previous advisory that 675 deaths had been added to the historic count given new reliance on death certificates as primary information source to collect data.

Related stories:

• WilCo Coronavirus Death Count Nears 100, 5 New Deaths
• Texas Change In Coronavirus Death Count Adds 675 Fatalities
  
• WilCo Coronavirus Death Count Reaches 94, 4 New Deaths
  
• WilCo To Stop Announcing Coronavirus Deaths As Count Reaches 90

Despite the lowered local death count, the number of reported illness cases grew on Wednesday by 118 cases to 5,433, according to the Williamson County and Cities Health District dashboard. The data show there are an estimated 554 cases of the respiratory illness in the county, with 69 residents currently hospitalized — including 36 patients each being treated at intensive care units and placed on ventilators to help them breathe.

Meanwhile, hospital resources continue to dwindle. The data show 22 percent of hospital beds currently available, and just 11 percent of ICU beds open. Ventilators are more plentiful with a 68 percent availability.

Many observers look to data related to recoveries as a hopeful metric, and the dashboard shows an estimated 4,822 residents have recovered after contracting the virus. However, health officials of late have taken to offer a disclaimer for those interpreting such data: "Recoveries are not a reportable condition to Public Health, therefore, recovery data are not absolute and are to be used for estimating purposes only. No trends or other inferences should be drawn from these data. The numbers posted represent a point-in-time snapshot and may fluctuate throughout the day. Deaths and recovered are included in the total positive cases. Hospital capacity data are only representative of the hospitals that have reported in the last 24 hours. These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time."