The Rundown

Bill requires infectious disease data reporting within 14 days of emergency declaration

By: Susan Tebben - May 11, 2020 1:05 pm

The Ohio Statehouse. Photo by Jake Zuckerman, Ohio Capital Journal.

Two Ohio legislators introduced a bill to require the state’s Department of Health to publish infectious disease data online.

House Bill 619 is cosponsored by state Rep. Kris Jordan, R-Ostrander, and Brett Hudson Hillyer, R-Uhrichsville. The bill would require the state health department to publish data within 14 days of the governor declaring “an emergency relating to infectious disease,” according to the bill language.

Required to be reported are numeric totals and per capita rates for:

Individuals tested for the infectious disease
Cases
Hospitalizations
ICU admissions
Deaths
Individuals who have recovered

Also required are dates of the onset of disease, hospitalization, ICU admission, release from the hospital and deaths related to the disease. The bill also directs the health department to organize the information by state and county; age, race and sex; and laboratory confirmed versus presumptive positive cases.

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Susan Tebben

Susan Tebben is an award-winning journalist with a decade of experience covering Ohio news, including courts and crime, Appalachian social issues, government, education, diversity and culture. She has worked for The Newark Advocate, The Glasgow (KY) Daily Times, The Athens Messenger, and WOUB Public Media. She has also had work featured on National Public Radio.