Birx: Tracking The Coronavirus Is A Challenge In Rural Areas

LINCOLN, Neb. (August 16, 2020) -Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House’s coronavirus task force, said in Nebraska Friday that health officials are struggling at times to get a sense of how the virus is spreading outside metro areas. The top White House coronavirus official said federal officials need to figure out better ways to track the coronavirus in rural, sparsely populated areas where fewer people are getting tested.

She says people in rural areas are often more self-reliant and reluctant to get tested, and in some remote counties, one positive case can lead people to conclude that the virus is more widespread than it is. Currently there is 30,241 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nebraska with a reported 363 deaths.