Analysis: Experts say it's 'meaningless' to compare case counts, positivity rates from the current Omicron BA.5 subvariant wave to earlier spikes

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Experts say it's 'meaningless' to compare case counts, positivity rates from the current COVID-19 wave driven by the Omicron BA.5 subvariant to earlier spikes The widespread use of rapid at-home COVID-19 testing has skewed data counts of the latest Omicron BA.5 subvariant wave, experts told Insider. YahooNews

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Comparing current COVID-19 data — like case counts and positivity rate — to earlier points in the pandemic is now "meaningless" thanks to the widespread use of rapid at-home testing and the underreporting of results, public health experts told Insider.

"It's an invalid comparison. They're not telling you the same type of information," infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said.

In recent weeks, the highly infectious Omicron BA.5 subvariant has become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the US, and is now estimated to account for more than 60% of all cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

But comparing this wave to previous surges in infections isn't a fair comparison since the data being collected has changed so drastically, said Dr. Rachael Piltch-Loeb, an associate research scientist at the NYU School of Global Public Health.

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