For Immediate Release:                                                      

July 28, 2020                                                             

Auditor Faber Joins Other States to Audit COVID-19 Data Reporting and Monitoring

Columbus – Auditor of State Keith Faber today announced that Ohio will participate in a bi-partisan multi-state project to examine case numbers of COVID-19. This undertaking uses a national COVID-19 Data Quality Audit template, which was developed by auditors in five states to create a consistent and shared COVID-19 national data reporting and monitoring system.

“Ohio is a leader in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak and Ohioans should have every reason to trust the data being reported by state officials,” said Auditor Faber. “By confirming the accuracy of Ohio’s data and examining best practices from other states, the Auditor’s office will provide valuable feedback to key policy makers and increased confidence for all Ohioans on how to best mitigate the spread and impact of this virus. We look forward to working with the Governor and the administration in a way that does not unnecessarily burden workers responding to the pandemic.”

The audit framework was conceived through collaboration with State Auditor offices from five states: Delaware, Florida, Mississippi, Ohio and Pennsylvania and with assistance from the National State Auditors Association. The questions were designed so that comparisons among states can be made after all reviews are completed. The intent is for states to be able to assess their own data gathering processes and use of applied data analytics to mitigate virus spread, as well as to gain understanding from approaches taken by other states.

Participating states will begin work on the project by this fall, and each state will release results when its review is complete.

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio is responsible for auditing more than 6,000 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government.