Web Extra: How the State Ended Up With a Backlog of COVID-19 Numbers

To understand how the data troubles started… go back to June and July when COVID-19 cases began to spike in Texas. The Texas DSHS computer system that collects lab reports began getting more daily test results than it was built to handle. On August 1 the state upgraded the system allowing it to process 100,000 lab reports per day. Then the system could begin clearing a backlog of older lab reports.