I asked Dr. Smith today about Washington County's continued low testing and high percent positive (29.3% today). The gist of the answer was that the county offers adequate testing resources and that the state can't make people get tested.

In his televised answer, he implied Benton and Washington counties operate as a unit. But the numbers are reported by county of residence, not county of test. So even if WashCo residents are getting tested in Benton County, they are reflected in the WashCo totals.

Therefore, the numbers aren't reflective of a unit. They are reflective of a much higher rate of undetected infections in Washington County than in Benton County. So far this June, Benton County has tested 7% of its population to Washington County's 3%.

Washington County's average daily percent positive rate is 28% so far in June. Benton County's is 8.4%. That's not a unit. That's inequity of testing and access.

I live in Washington County. There hasn't been a testing event here in the past 3 weeks. The last one turned away scores of attendees because it ran out of tests less than halfway through the time frame advertised.

The County Health Unit offers testing, but it takes 2 weeks to find out your results (if you're negative). The Community Clinic offers testing, but here's what its website says: "Cash price for COVID-19 test is $100. This price is not reflective of the amount paid by patients."

I can see how that might scare people away who feel they have to pay $100 cash at time of testing.

Even the Walmart Drive Thru testing in Benton Co has a wait of 5 days if you don't mind the early morning (6-7 a.m. slots). If you want a later slot, it's longer.

The state is testing every single nursing home in the state - every patient, every staff member - regardless of whether anyone in the facility has been sick.

If ADH has the resources to do that, why isn't it holding testing events in Washington County - where hospitals are rapidly filling and deaths have jumped by 157% since June 1?

And if testing resources are adequate, then why isn't ADH looking for the point of failure elsewhere?

Because a month of almost 30% positive rates is a failure. Is it lack of communication? Is it that people don't feel safe going to walk-in testing sites? Is it a distrust of medical providers?

Instead of digging in to these questions, we find dissembling and sidestepping.