Gaps in Arizona's coronavirus data that make it impossible to know how many people have been tested are expected to be fixed.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday issued an executive order that requires private laboratories to report both the number of positive and negative COVID-19 tests they've processed.

Right now, the labs are only reporting positive tests, so it's not clear how many people have been tested, and it's impossible to know Arizona's rate of positives.

Ducey's order does not address limited testing availability that has been a frustration for many Arizonans with COVID-19 symptoms who are unable to find out whether they are positive or negative. For that reason, the reported number of presumptive positive and confirmed cases is likely an undercount.

What Ducey's order will do is allow a more accurate picture of the testing that is happening.

"To guarantee our public health experts get the data they need to accurately model the spread and plan ahead, today I'm issuing an executive order for enhanced surveillance, requiring commercial labs to provide laboratory specimens for in-depth analysis and sequencing," Ducey told reporters.

"It will also require commercial labs to provide denominator data on their testing, something that to this point has been provided voluntarily."

Chris Minnick, an Arizona Department of Health Services spokesman, said he did not have a time frame for when the private labs will begin sharing their data.

The state's COVID-19 data as of Monday showed that 352 people in Arizona have been tested for the disease, but that number doesn't include the tally of people tested at private labs. And testing at private labs has been ramping up in Arizona in recent weeks, with drive-up sites in Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson.

As of Monday, the state's Department of Health Services had reported 234 presumptive positive and confirmed cases of COVID-19, which is caused by the new coronavirus.

Since Friday, three deaths from the disease have been announced in the state.

A woman in her 50s with underlying health conditions that may have put her at higher risk was confirmed to have had COVID-19 via a positive lab report on Monday evening, Pima County said in a news release.

Two other known deaths related to COVID-19 have occurred in Arizona — a Phoenix employee in his 50s who had underlying health conditions, and a Maricopa County man in his 70s, also with underlying health conditions.

"The sad reality is, just like the rest of the country, we expect more deaths," Ducey told reporters. "As we work to increase testing capacity, we expect more confirmed cases. But we aren't standing by idle."

Ducey's executive order works by putting into place an "Enhanced Surveillance Advisory" that he said will accelerate the tracking of COVID-19 cases and strengthen the ability of public health officials to respond to the outbreak.

In addition to testing data, the advisory requires hospitals in Arizona to report daily statistics on staff resources, ventilator availability, intensive care unit bed availability, inpatient bed availability, personal protective equipment supply levels and medical supply levels.

“My team and I are committed to doing everything we can to fight the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Cara Christ, the Department of Health Services director, said in a written statement. “The enhanced surveillance for COVID-19 information will improve our awareness of our hospital and surge capacity, allow us to get denominator data on commercial laboratory testing and collect laboratory specimens to do further analysis and sequencing.”

To protect the privacy of patients, any information received from the advisory that would compromise patient identity is confidential, the Governor's Office said.

While testing capacity in Arizona has increased, Christ told reporters the state continues to face a national shortage of testing supplies.

"At this time, there simply aren't enough tests for everyone who wants one," she said. "We continue to prioritize our high-risk populations. To be clear, testing will not change your treatment."

There is no vaccine against COVID-19 and no known effective treatment other than supportive care. About 80% of cases are mild. It's more contagious and so far evidence shows it's much more deadly than the seasonal flu. The hallmark symptoms are a cough, fever and shortness of breath, although there is a range of symptoms that can occur.

Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on Twitter @stephanieinnes

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