Thread by @DavidBegnaud

THREAD:
*I deleted a tweet (see below) containing misleading data published by the Puerto Rico govt.
*PRs Fiscal Agency & Financial Advisory Authority reported yesterday the govt hadn't dispersed any of the $150 million for COVID19 testing & contact tracing.
*They have...some👇

1.) For "Covid Testing &Contact Tracing Program" see under "disbursed"...there's a "-"
2.) Now, look right.
3.) 64,862,604 has been transferred out or appropriated to "liable entity"
4.) There's nothing under disbursed which means: paid out.
5.) That govt info is dated 8.10.20

I asked the Puerto Rico Health Department early this morning if it was true that none of the money had been dispersed. A spokesperson for the dept said they would look in to it. By 8pm, that person said they were still working on getting me an answer.

After my initial tweet, @JBalmaceda787, who works at @CenterOnBudget, sent me a public document from the same Puerto Rican agency, @AAFAFPR, dated 8.4.10
It states: 63.4 million has been "dispersed" for the contact tracing program. See image or read page 9
emma.msrb.org/SS1393364-SS10…

"Finding reliable data in Puerto Rico is like going into the Heart of Darkness," is what a source, who tracks this kind of data, told me tonight.
Meanwhile, I heard from Fabiola Cruz Lopez, an epidemiologist, who said: PRs govt has dispersed about 30 million for contract tracing

She, (her twitter handle is @fabyhealthyle) started a contact tracing program in her municipality of Villalba. The Health Dept was impressed with her work so they asked her to spearhead contract tracing program around the island.

She say the govt gave her nearly 30 million dollars for the 78 municipalities. She has dispersed 20 million dollars to 65 municipalities, thus far. Each municipality, @fabyhealthyle says, has an epidemiologist and a system for case investigation and contact tracing.

This worked has been approved by Puerto Rico Department of Health, according to Cruz Lopez, who is, she says, now working as a contractor for the Puerto Rico Health Department overseeing contact tracing island wide

Here's an image which @fabyhealthyle says shows municipalities that are active, preparing, or not active (those in gray) Here contact tracing group - which includes 345 people already working in most of the municipalities started a twitter account today.
It's @SMICRCPR

Bottom line:
*Puerto Rico has some degree of widespread contact tracing
*It is being lead, at the request of the islands health department, by a respected epidemiologist who's proven herself to be effective
*Data released by Puerto Rico's govt may often be outdated or inaccurate

Finally, I spoke with Puerto Rico Secretary of Health tonight. He said tomorrow he would get me, dollar for dollar, how much money has been spent on contact tracing around the island.

Update: today has come and gone and the puerto rico health department did not provide the information about how much money has been spent so far on coronavirus tracing on the island.

Tomorrow, we try asking for that information again. I don’t understand the delay.