OHA changes recovered cases reporting, Oct. 12

OHA release – OHA is changing the way it reports recovered cases of COVID-19. Prior to May 1, OHA periodically telephoned COVID-19 cases and asked if they still experienced symptoms to assess when they had recovered. People who reported no longer suffering symptoms were reported as “recovered.” But after May 1, when these calls were discontinued, the definition was revised to become a person “alive 60 days after onset of illness.” But the new definition did not factor in people who experience prolonged illness or lasting effects from COVID-19. For that reason, the count of recovered cases after May 1 will no longer be reported on OHA’s COVID-19 data dashboards or website. OHA is developing a new metric that will measure the proportion of cases who are alive 60 days after onset of illness. However, the definition is still being refined, and may take into consideration factors that measure disease severity, such as hospitalization status. Information on recovery for cases prior to May 1, 2020 will still be available on the OHA website in the COVID-19 Weekly Report.