NC’s governor launched a coronavirus plan of testing, tracing and trends. He needs one more ‘T’

Gov. Roy Cooper announced a new initiative Wednesday to fight COVID-19 in North Carolina through what he calls a program of “Testing, Tracing and Trends.” It’s a strong proposal that’s modeled after progressive testing plans in other states, including California. But Cooper’s plan is missing another important “T” — telling North Carolinians all the information that’s been gathered.

Yes, we know. Another editorial about transparency. But this one is more than the usual plea to provide information the public deserves to know. While Cooper has been an effective leader thus far in the fight against the virus, his Department of Health and Human Services has been uneven in the information it provides. That’s resulted in some legitimate questions about gaps in COVID-19 data, and it’s left an opening for political opponents to fill the void with misinformation. That’s not good for anyone, including the governor.

Cooper’s announcement Wednesday came hours after Republican Senate leader Phil Berger held a media call to discuss details of another initiative — a Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center study that involves antibody testing of 1,000 North Carolinians. That $100,000 study, paid for through a discretionary legislative account, is a worthy effort to learn more about the virus. But it also came in part because before this week, the governor and DHHS had not been very forthcoming about their desire to test and trace.

Berger says the Wake data will be shared with the national and local officials, and a Cooper spokesperson said they welcomed the study. But Berger’s initiative might not have been necessary had Cooper and DHHS been clearer earlier about their plans.

There’s also a political reality in play with COVID-19: NC Republicans have rightly pushed for weeks for widespread testing, presumably so they can build a case to reopen the N.C. economy, which Cooper has been rightly cautious about doing too quickly. We hope that COVID-19 data doesn’t become a pawn in that fight, and we hope the governor understands that holding back any data will only cause Republicans to clamor for it more loudly.

That’s what happened this week with Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who is challenging Cooper in November’s election. In a statement emailed to supporters and media, Forest called for DHHS to publish additional COVID-19 data – including information on hospitals and recovered patients — to help leaders make informed decisions. Forest was right about wanting more DHHS data, but in an interview on a Wilmington radio show, he also said a lot of data that’s been released is ”faulty” and “biased.”

Forest’s spokesperson didn’t specify which data was flawed when asked multiple times this week by the Editorial Board. Forest, who wrongly questioned the governor’s right to issue restrictions on N.C. restaurants last month, needs to clarify or retract his most recent accusation. Casting doubt on data is a dangerous disservice to the people Forest says he represents.

We believe the governor and DHHS have been thoughtful and aggressive in slowing the spread of COVID-19, but their fight is hampered if people don’t believe they have a full picture of the virus. In some cases, they don’t. The News & Observer has made multiple requests of DHHS for records, data and policies involving COVID-19 and nursing homes, which has seen a surge of infections. Thus far, those requests have gone unfulfilled.

Such information is critical, not only now but moving forward as our leaders make important decisions on loosening coronavirus restrictions. The road ahead could be especially rocky and unnecessarily political if North Carolinians don’t have another “T” — trust in what their leaders are telling them.

This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 1:46 PM.