Ohio is 44th out of 50 states in terms of the number of tests performed per capita for the Chinese coronavirus, data show.
Worldometers tracks COVID-19 test results and related data. The information, which was updated Sunday afternoon, is available here.
Looking at tests performed by 1 million, or per capita, is a method to adjust for population differences.
Based on that strategy, Ohio is 44th out of 50 states and Washington, D.C., with 5,432 tests done for every person out of 1 million people.
The national figure is 8,371 tests per million.
New York was No. 1 among states, with 23,529 tests per million. Tennessee was 17th, with 10,048 per million. Just ahead of Ohio is Iowa, with 5,469 cases per million. Just behind Ohio is Georgia, with 5,288 tests performed per million.
Since mid-March, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton have defied requirements by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to report accurate data on the total number of positive and negative tests of coronavirus tests conducted in the state, The Ohio Star has reported. The CDC, through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, told states they need to send it aggregated data of coronavirus testing.
DeWine’s press secretary Daniel Tierney told The Star on March 23 that Ohio “is in and has been in full compliance” with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) reporting standards, even though the state altered its reporting of COVID-19 test result on March 15 to exclude negative test results. He denied that the Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires full reporting, despite Vice President Mike Pence clearly stating the act’s requirements.
There may be a reason for DeWine to hide the number of negative test results.
As The Star has reported on several occasions, including March 19, DeWine and Acton have drawn intense criticism from policymakers, citizens and others for actions including shutting down the private sector economy and canceling the Ohio primary election.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s decision to move the primary to June 2 was met with descriptions of “anarchy” and “executive fiat,” according to The Star. DeWine – through the Acton – declared a Health Emergency and ordered the polls closed for Tuesday’s primary election.
Meanwhile, jobless claims in Ohio through the first week of April have nearly doubled what was filed during all of 2019. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said 226,007 jobless claims were filed for the week ending April 4. In 2019, 364,603 initial jobless claims were filed during the entire year.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
