Facebook map of coronavirus symptoms shows more in Pueblo County than El Paso County

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Facebook partnered with Carnegie Mellon data to plot the spread of COVID-19 symptoms across the country and in individual counties.

The surveys come from people self reporting and does not indicate individuals testing positive for the virus.

Most of Colorado show counties depicted in pink and gray, meaning there isn't enough data to report or the percentages of people showing symptoms are low.

El Paso County is reporting 1.21% of people are experiencing symptoms, whereas Pueblo County is slightly above at 1.69%.

Overall these numbers are low, which could also be why Colorado is one of two states now looking into reopening the economy with strict guidelines.

Facebook says it will continue to update the map, hoping it can be used to spot any potential outbreaks or track which areas need more PPE.

Dr. Robin Johnson, El Paso County Public Health Medical Director explains the accuracy of this survey.

"This type of survey information is interesting, and with repeated points of data there may be more meaning that can be applied to the survey. However, this is one snap shot in time and fairly vague," said Johnson. "As we know, symptoms can overlap with other viruses and respiratory illnesses, so testing in these individuals would be really informative as we look to following the spread of COVID-19. Big data opportunities from surveys can be helpful on many levels, but are also subject to the vague nature of aggregate data and potential bias."