How many #tests for #COVID-19 are being performed around the world? - Our World in Data
▻https://ourworldindata.org/covid-testing
The first chart plots the total number of tests against the total number of confirmed cases. The more tests a country has done the higher it is; the more confirmed cases it has, the further it is to the right.
Naturally, since you can only get a positive test if you carry out a test in the first place, countries that have performed more tests will tend to have more confirmed cases. In other words: there is a positive correlation between tests performed and cases confirmed. That doesn’t necessarily mean that countries that have done more tests really have more cases, although in many cases they will.
However, the differences between countries can tell us important things. For instance, we can see that some countries have done more tests per confirmed case. The UK, for example, has done many more tests than other European countries with a similar number of confirmed cases.
The second chart plots the number of tests performed in each country. The most obvious point is that the data shows South Korea has done many more tests than other countries. That means we can expect that in South Korea the number of confirmed cases – positive tests – is closer to the real number of infected people than it is in other countries.
That makes it encouraging to see that the number of daily confirmed cases in South Korea has gone down. (Here you find our chart that shows the decline of confirmed new cases in South Korea.) South Korea was able to quickly manufacture and use a huge number of tests, showing that it is possible. Testing is crucial, so it is vital that other countries follow South Korea’s lead.
Tests conducted vs. Total confirmed cases of COVID-19
▻https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/tests-vs-confirmed-cases-covid-19
▻https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/exports/tests-vs-confirmed-cases-covid-19.png?v=14
