COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio's COVID-19 death toll has been underreported by as many as 4,000 people, the state Department of Health announced Wednesday.
Officials say the issue was discovered during "routine employee training," and the unspecified problem apparently began last October and went on for months. The bulk of the so-far uncounted deaths occurred in November and December, according to the ODH.
The numbers will be updated over the next week, meaning Ohio's daily coronavirus death reports will look abnormally high for a few days. However, the accurate death dates will be reflected on the state's COVID-19 dashboard.
"After this increase, normal processes will resume, with increased quality assurance related to the death reconciliation process," the ODH wrote in a statement.
Health officials will continue to work with Ohio Auditor Keith Faber's office for a full audit of the state's COVID-19 data, which has been under way since September. Currently, more than 11,000 coronavirus deaths have been reported among Ohioans.
Stay with 3News for updates on this developing story.
