Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton is facing renewed criticism for her past claims regarding COVID-19 mortality rates, particularly her assertion that the rate reached 50% in the early days of the pandemic. Opponents argue these figures are exaggerated and were used to justify public health measures she implemented as Director of the Ohio Department of Health in 2020.
Acton made the remarks on a podcast in September, stating, "In those early days, the mortality rate was 50%. I started with that in March. By June, when we reopened, it was because we took swift, decisive action. The mortality rate had gone down to 5%. We learned how to save lives." She presented this as evidence of her effective leadership.
However, data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that the COVID-19 death rate was significantly lower. Nationwide, there were approximately 275,000 deaths in 2020. When adjusted for age, the death rate for patients who contracted the virus was 15.9%, and when COVID-19 was the confirmed cause of death, that figure decreased to 11.3%.
When questioned about the 50% figure, Acton's office stated she was referring to death rates within hospitals. Acton, who is running against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, has defended her record, arguing that her actions, in conjunction with then-Republican Governor Mike DeWine, were effective in protecting Ohioans.
"I had quarantine power … we were the very first to take action," Acton said on the podcast. She noted that Ohio was among the first states to implement broad emergency restrictions, including school closures on March 16, stay-at-home orders, and limitations on public gatherings.
Acton's campaign has also pushed back against Ramaswamy, with spokesperson Addie Bullock stating, "While Dr. Acton was working hand in hand with Governor DeWine to keep Ohioans safe, Vivek Ramaswamy was calling for mandatory COVID-19 testing, making more than $2 billion off of the COVID vaccine, and recommending segregating Ohioans based on biomarker status."
In response, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy, Connie Luck, told Fox News Digital that Acton was "spewing lies" and attempting to "justify her disastrous decision-making during COVID." Luck characterized Acton as an "incompetent, failed government bureaucrat."
During the early stages of the pandemic, Acton made other claims that were later walked back. In March 2020, she initially estimated that 100,000 people in Ohio had COVID-19, later admitting she was "guesstimating." She also projected at a press conference that Ohio could see as many as 10,000 new cases per day.
Governor DeWine has previously defended Acton's counsel as "superb" and stated that the ultimate decisions on closures rested with him. Acton later diverged from DeWine's office on certain issues, such as allowing county fairs and partnerships that she believed favored certain businesses.
Acton resigned in June 2020, citing her unwillingness to sign orders being forced upon her and a perceived politicization of the pandemic response in the statehouse. She stated that the administration began giving advantages to special interests and specific businesses.
Acton secured the Democratic nomination in the primaries and is set to face Ramaswamy in the general election on November 3.
