Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Ohio, Amy Acton, is facing criticism from her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, after claiming that the death rate from COVID-19 was 50% higher during the early stages of the 2020 pandemic.
Acton believes these figures highlight her strong leadership while serving as the director of the Ohio Department of Health. In a September podcast, she stated, “In the beginning, the mortality rate was 50%. I started addressing this in March, and by June, when we reopened, it dropped to 5%. We learned how to save lives.”
However, the actual mortality rate from the virus was significantly lower than what Acton claimed, with around 275,000 deaths reported in the U.S. in 2020, as per the CDC. Their data indicated that the age-adjusted death rate was only 15.9%, and it fell to 11.3% when taking into account only those whose deaths were directly caused by the virus.
When questioned about her figure, Acton’s office clarified that she was referring to hospital mortality rates. Meanwhile, she criticized Ramaswamy, the founder of a biotech company involved in COVID-19 treatments, stating, “While I worked to keep Ohioans safe, Ramaswamy profited from the pandemic.”
Acton has been under fire from Republicans for what they perceive as excessive measures taken during the pandemic. She defended her actions by pointing out that her pandemic response, along with Republican Governor Mike DeWine, was effective. “I had the authority to quarantine, and we were among the first to take action,” she mentioned on the podcast.
A spokesperson for Ramaswamy responded by asserting that Acton was spreading misinformation about COVID-19. “Liberal Amy Acton is trying to rewrite history with false claims to defend her poor decisions during the pandemic,” Connie Luck said.
Acton’s strategies early on in the pandemic included implementing significant emergency restrictions, such as closing schools and limiting public gatherings. However, she did face criticism for having exaggerated the potential cases in Ohio. In March 2020, for instance, she initially stated there could be 100,000 cases but later retracted that, referring to it as “speculation.” She also suggested that new daily cases could reach 10,000, which stirred concerns.
Governor DeWine defended Acton against her critics, emphasizing that the ultimate decisions on restrictions were his responsibility. Following some disagreements, Acton eventually parted ways with DeWine’s office. She raised concerns regarding the county fair, believing it could reintroduce the virus into the community.
Acton has now secured the Democratic nomination for governor and is set to compete against Ramaswamy in the general election on November 3.
