Tri-Cities can’t risk COVID data errors. Counties need access to regional numbers | Editorial

That a significant reporting error from one hospital could keep six Washington counties from moving forward in the state reopening plan shows a flaw in the system, despite Gov. Jay Inslee’s affirmation of the Roadmap to Recovery process.

If it hadn’t been for gut feelings, keen eyes and pressure from public officials in Washington state’s South Central region, the Tri-Cities might still be stuck in Phase 1.

Fortunately, the mistake was corrected relatively quickly and the six counties that were initially left behind have been allowed to move to Phase 2 along with the rest of the state.

But the debacle highlights the need for a course correction in how COVID statistics are being dispersed and checked.

Currently, health officials and elected leaders see data from their own counties but not always from their neighbors. There should be a way for local officials to see the regional compilation of data to ensure there are no errors before state officials use it to make their decisions.

If such a process had been in place last week, it would have prevented Benton, Franklin, Yakima, Walla Walla, Columbia and Kittitas counties from being left in a holding pattern while other regions celebrated.

As it happened, last week state officials looked at the numbers coming out of the South Central region and accepted them without question — and that was the problem.

Fortunately, Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney thought something was off and decided to investigate.

She told the Yakima Herald-Republic that she knew “for a fact” that Yakima County’s data on hospitalizations was significantly down.

Her instincts did not line up with the South Central regional report showing that the hospital admission rate of COVID patients had increased by 9% from Jan. 24 to Feb. 6 from the previous two weeks.

In order to meet the state goal, hospital admissions of COVID patients per 100,000 people must drop by 10%.

With her gut telling her something was wrong, she contacted Yakima health officials and other county commissioners to find out why the hospital numbers were so much higher than she expected they would be.

Franklin County Commissioner Brad Peck said at Tuesday’s commission meeting that McKinney contacted him and Walla Walla County Commissioner Greg Tompkins. They worked with local legislators to set things right once they realized there had been a reporting error by Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla.

McKinney further explained how events unfolded at her weekly virtual town hall meeting Tuesday, where she invited Benton County Commissioner Will McKay to participate.

He too, was involved in the coordinated effort launched by McKinney and Yakima health officials, and he said he wants to find out how local leaders can see the COVID data from the entire region before it is sent to the state.

At the governor’s news conference Tuesday, Inslee acknowledged there was a “brief interlude” when one hospital made an error, but that the system actually worked and that he’s happy all of Washington is moving forward and lives are being saved.

But for a data-driven approach to work, the data must be accurate. More checks on the data are needed.

The system “worked” this time because county and health district leaders in the South Central region investigated the error and lawmakers — including U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. — pressured Inslee and the state Department of Health to act on the new information.

Moving forward, correct reporting will continue to be critical.

Just because the Tri-Cities is now in Phase 2 doesn’t mean there is a guarantee the community will stay there. With the current setup, all it will take is one outbreak in one of the six counties to set the entire South Central region back.

Now that restaurants can offer indoor dining at 25%, and theaters and gyms can open, there may be a sense that we can relax our efforts to fight COVID-19 — especially since the vaccination site at the Benton County fairgrounds is running so smoothly.

But we all must continue to do our part. We must continue to wear masks and continue to practice social distancing.

In addition, if counties are going to be linked together in Inslee’s reopening plan, then COVID data should be shared with health officials from the entire region so they can spot possible mistakes.

With so much riding on the regional COVID report, we need more local eyes double-checking the numbers.

This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 12:50 PM.