Ohio bad COVID test result
We’ve heard a lot of reports about bad COVID-19 test results. Scioto County Commissioners expressed concerns over their accuracy last week. Plus, who could forget the fiasco where Governer Mike DeWine tested positive and negative for Coronavirus on the same day?
Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber said his office is ready to take a closer look at COVID-19 testing data. Ohio joined a multi-state project to look at COVID-19 results. Auditors in five states created a data quality audit template and will now use it to take a look at problem tests.
Faber asked for citizens help. If you’ve received incorrect tests results from a state or county health department or your medical provider, he wants to know. Faber said this includes:
- Receiving test results that were later reversed or
- Receiving results for tests the individual did not take.
You can click this link to fill out the form.
Remember only fill it out if you received false test results. You must provide documentation such as an email or letter related to the test results. Faber said a member of his staff may contact you for more information.
I Don’t Know If They’re Accurate
Last week, Scioto County Commissioner Mike Crabtree worried that numbers might be exaggerated. “From what we’re hearing, the numbers of cases and the numbers of actual positive cases, in some of the information that we’re hearing on different news media indicate that there’s a lot of inaccuracies in those particular positive cases and the deaths.”
The Commissioner said he didn’t know what the numbers should actually be. “I don’t know if they’re accurate or not. I think there’s a lot of questions that people have nationwide as to how accurate those numbers can be and if some of those numbers are being exaggerated for the benefit the hospitals or the health department.”
Crabtree said he fears it will be impossible to get an accurate count, “It would be nice to know that. WE may never know that. There’s still a lot of information out there, a lot of misinformation out there, and a lot of complaints about the fact that people either don’t think the numbers are correct or they’re not consistent from one state to another. Are we gonna get accurate numbers? Maybe in the final tally. I don’t know.”
DeWine’s False Positive
One of Ohio’s top experts explained the science behind Governor Mike DeWine’s false-positive test for COVID-19.
Last week, Governor DeWine went to Cleveland to meet with President Trump. A rapid-response COVID-19 test was administered to DeWine ahead of his meeting with the President. That test came back positive. DeWine returned to Columbus and called Dr. Peter Mohler is the chief scientific officer at OSU’s Wexner Medical Center. Tests administered by Mohler came back negative.
Dr. Mohler said that the difference between the antigen test DeWine took in Cleveland and the PCR test administered in Columbus was like a high-powered telescope vs. a pair of binoculars. Mohler broke down how the tests work:
Rapid-response antigen tests are fairly new. They detect the proteins on the surface of the virus and not the specific COVID-19 virus itself. These proteins are also part of other, mostly harmless, types of Coronaviruses. Dr. Mohler said this test is like using a pair of binoculars to look for stars in the night sky. “You will have false positives and false negatives. If you’re using binoculars, you’re going to miss some stars.”
PCR tests have been around for thirty years. These tests look at the virus on a molecular level. According to Mohler, “It looks at the genetic makeup of the virus and can detect very low viral loads.” He said PCR tests are almost 100% accurate. “The disadvantage is that it’s hard to do a lot of it. Only specialists can do a test. When we get a result from a PCR test, it’s similar to looking to a star with a high-power telescope. You get very good results.”
