(UPDATED JULY 24, WITH RESPONSE FROM HEALTH DEPARTMENT)

CLEWISTON — The data reported on the Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Testing by Laboratory report, updated July 20, does not match Hendry Regional Medical Center’s reports.

The FDOH report for data through July 19, verified at 9:25 a.m. on July 20, showed Hendry Regional Medical Center with 183 positive tests and one negative test.

“I am not sure where DOH is getting these numbers,” said Electa Waddell of HRMC. Earlier in the year, samples collected at HRMC were sent to other labs, so those numbers would be reported by those labs, she explained. HRMC started in-house testing on Tuesday, July 7.

“Our in-house testing, which would be directly attributed to HRMC lab, is as follows as of July 20: 67 tests performed, 22 positive, 45 negative.

“All test results positive or negative are sent to the DOH,” she added.
HRMC’s update for July 16 states:

• HRMC has collected a total of 2,242 specimens for COVID-19 virus testing since the onset of the virus, 359 are still pending results; 587 have been reported as positive; 1,296 have been reported as negative.
• HRMC currently has four COVID-19 patients and six patients pending results in isolation units. One positive COVID patient has been discharged in the past 24 hours.
• Yesterday (July 15), HRMC saw 43 patients through the emergency department.

HRMC Employee Quarantine and Self-isolation: Currently, there are six employees quarantined/self-isolated from HRMC awaiting testing results. There is one employee quarantined/self-isolating due to non-work related COVID-19 exposure and four employees have tested positive for COVID-19 virus and are self-isolating. Additionally, zero employees are self-quarantined due to recent travel.

The FDOT report for data through July 20, verified as of July 21, showed HRMC with 184 positive tests and two negative tests. As of July 23, the report showed 185 positive tests and two negative.

On July 23, Brenda Barnes of the Hendry County Health Department responded, " HRMC and all of their extended medical offices use several different labs. It is very possible that the information from all of these offices did not get uploaded into the database that feeds the report you are referring to.

"The Florida Department of Health recently sent a letter to all medical facilities to remind them of the reporting requirements. All cases must be reported to the Florida Department of Health: All positive cases, all negative cases and all cases that were deemed inconclusive.  Until that letter, some facilities thought they only had to report the positive cases.

"The data is still being collected and verified."