Here in NJ the testing isn’t available unless you have symptoms; the testing centers aren’t open to the general public - so you’re already dealing with sick people. As a result, the denominator won’t outpace the numerator yet in terms of spread/contamination; if 1,000 people show up for testing, you’re probably adding 950 to the numerator (infected) and 1,000 to the denominator (tested). If they were testing EVERYONE, then you may add 2,000 to the numerator (infected) and 100,000 to the denominator (tested) in a day - a more favorable/less scary result.
The “death rate” can’t go down yet because of the incubation period; given the scarcity of crowds, it inevitably should.
FYI, in NJ it’s been running about 50/50 between positive and negative tests.
And you’re right, we don’t have a clear picture because of the scarcity of tests and the lag in testing results.
It’s a shame so many are being sent home because the symptoms are not critical, and they have to monitor themselves. What a lousy position to be in. Many end up back in the hospital in a condition where they can’t be saved. Or they die at home.
Everybody in an area with few cases should thank their lucky stars.