The Door County Public Health Department introduced a new metric Monday as it tries to give a more complete picture of COVID-19 in the community. The department is now tracking probable cases, which is when a person in close contact of a positive case begins to develop symptoms. If you fall under that category, the department is urging you to get tested. State guidelines say a person can only be classified as a confirmed case if they have been tested by a polymerise chain reaction (PCR) test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). Currently, people who test positive through an antigen test also get classified as a probable case because in certain situations they are not as reliable. During Monday’s Facebook Live session with Door County Public Health Director Sue Powers, Door County Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jim Heise says the results of the test depend on a number of factors including the specific virus it is detecting.
Door County reported 58 probable cases on Monday. According to the COVID Tracking Project, the state of Wisconsin began tracking probable cases in June separate from confirmed tests. You can watch the full video online with this story.