Nigel Parry/Lowertown.info—The Minnesota Department of Health’s changes to counting positive COVID-19 cases by date of sample—not by date of reporting—revealed that between March and May 2020 we had a profound blind spot in case awareness, sometimes resulting in a daily discrepancy of thousands between the number of reported and actual cases—all as the state was working around the clock to formulate policy informed by the best possible scientific advice.