Health

Auditor Says Ohio Health Department's COVID Data is Accurate

The Statehouse News Bureau | By Karen Kasler

Published March 25, 2021 at 8:59 PM EDT

Though the information on the Ohio Department of Health has been questioned by critics and even some state lawmakers, the state鈥檚 data on COVID cases and deaths is accurate, according to a review from the Republican state auditor.

Republican Auditor Keith Faber said he鈥檇 recommend an upgrade of the system, which wasn鈥檛 designed to handle the huge amounts of data from the pandemic.

But he said that 鈥渇or the most part, the information that鈥檚 being reported is accurate, and for the most part, while the system is clunky and not the most efficient, from a public policy standpoint is providing consistent, reliable information.鈥�

Faber did say he'd like a differentiation between people who died of COVID and those who died with COVID. But he noted the state is counting those deaths in accordance with CDC guidelines.

Faber also noted in his audit that because testing data is incomplete, a true count of test results and isn鈥檛 available. And he said there are so many health subdivisions and overlapping jurisdictions it may be difficult to track data back and verify it.

Last month鈥檚 from November and December wasn鈥檛 part of the audit. That may be included in a second audit that Faber has said he is planning.

But Faber said he鈥檇 recommend the site be redesigned to more prominently show current hospitalizations, ICU beds and ventilator usage, rather than totals that go back to the beginning of the pandemic.

鈥淭hat might be interesting to the nature and scope of COVID and its impact in Ohio over an extended period of time, Faber said. But trying to get a handle of what the current state of COVID is today, that information isn鈥檛 as telling as knowing how many active cases are in the community.鈥�

The state is now reporting 852,146 confirmed COVID cases and 150,676 probable cases, bringing the total to 1,002,822.

The way the website lists COVID deaths , when the state dropped confirmed and probable deaths and moved to resident deaths and deaths in Ohio. Those death totals are now updated twice a week. As of today, there have been 18,382 resident deaths and 18,388 deaths in Ohio.