COLUMBUS — Auditor of State Keith Faber today announced the launch of an online portal for personal experiences with inconsistent or erroneous COVID-19 test results.

The office is seeking first-hand information from individuals who have received notices from the State or County Department of Health or a medical provider with experiences of inconsistencies in testing procedures including, but not limited to, receiving test results that were later reversed or receiving results for a test the individual did not take.

“It is important that Ohioans have confidence in the data used for making COVID-19 policies,” said Auditor Faber. “There are widespread concerns and reports regarding false data. I saw a need for us to verify the data being used to either identify data errors or debunk what may, in some cases, be urban legends. I want to stress that this portal is only for first-hand experiences to establish facts or disprove rumors. With this audit and portal we can provide valuable feedback to key policy makers and increase confidence for all Ohioans.”

The submissions to the portal will add data to the ongoing multi-state COVID-19 reporting audit that the office is conducting. In addition to the portal, the audit’s 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. The questions were designed so that comparisons among states can be made after all reviews are completed. The framework was conceived through collaboration from five states: Delaware, Florida, Mississippi, Ohio, and Pennsylvania with assistance from the National State Auditor’s Association.

The portal is available at http://forms.ohioauditor.gov/covidtips