Hickory Sun

Sen. Andy Wells (R-Catawba) is supporting random sampling as a method to test how prevalent the coronavirus is in North Carolina. 

Wells issued a statement via Medium on March 24 supporting random sampling, saying that acquiring more data about the virus is the priority, not shutting down the economy. 

“A random sample of North Carolinians will help us know how prevalent the virus is and what are the true medical facility needs and virus fatality numbers," Wells said. "After that, additional random sample antibody tests must be given to estimate how many people have already had the virus. No data set is more important than this one. It should be prioritized immediately, above all else."

Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology and the director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said surveillance should be prioritized because it can estimate how prevalent mild coronavirus infections are in communities, according to the statement. 

But to be able to know how prevalent something is, testing has to be done, Wells said. 

"Random sampling is a proven method of accurately measuring large populations and has been utilized for decades to inform all manner of decisions in both public and private spheres," Wells said."This is the only data that can properly inform decisions moving forward."

Dr. John Ioannidis, professor of medicine, professor of epidemiology and population health and co-director of the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS) at Stanford University, agreed with Wells and told Medium that random sampling is the way to determine the prevalence of COVID-19. 

“The most valuable piece of information for answering those questions would be to know the current prevalence of the infection in a random sample of a population," Ioannidis told Medium. 

If governments are going to continue to make decisions that impact individuals' lives, then there should be data to support those decisions, Wells said in his statement. 

"Governments are making decisions that impact public health and the overall economy. Those decisions require accurate and adequate data," Wells said, according to Medium. "People are losing their livelihoods and their futures every minute. We need data so government makes the right call, right now."