(Columbus) - The State of Ohio's daily update of COVID-19 cases on Tuesday was skewed higher than normal, because the state is now following different guidelines in how the tests are reported.
On Tuesday, the state reported 25,721 new cases. The flood of reported cases came after state and local epidemiologists started following new CDC guidelines, which say antigen tests don't have to be double-checked.
The unplugging of this backlog pushed the state's total of reported cases over a half-million, to 510,018.
The Ohio Department of Health also reported 81 additional deaths Tuesday, and 657 more hospitalizations.
(Copyright 2020, iHeartMedia)
Listen to WTAM for news at the top and bottom of the hour