Entry of COVID-19 case backlog from largest surge yet is now complete

Austin, TX - The COVID-19 omicron variant is responsible for the pandemic’s largest surge yet, leaving Austin Public Health (APH) Epidemiology and IT Units with thousands of case reports to cross-check. APH staff explored ways to automate the data entry process to ensure dashboard data is as timely and accurate as possible. The new process rolled out in phases over the last several months. Thursday afternoon’s dashboard update includes an additional 5,878 cases—the final batch from the backlog.  

Austin-Travis County’s COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard now reflects a more complete view of the scope of infections throughout the pandemic. The area continues to experience a second wave of omicron infections spurred by subvariants BA.5 and BA.4. The initial omicron surge in January and February resulted in an influx of more than 70,000 new cases and presented challenges to an already taxed public health system.  

"We thank the APH staff members who continued to work diligently throughout this pandemic in an effort to process the cases received during this unprecedented omicron surge,” said Chief Epidemiologist Janet Pichette. “This information is key to understanding the impact of COVID-19 on our community and strengthening planning and response efforts.”

The backlogged cases appear on the Surveillance Dashboard’s epi curve on the date of onset/test collection for the case. The 5,878 cases were distributed over several months.

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