State Auditor Says Louisiana COVID-19 Numbers Weren’t Inflated

A Louisiana Legislative Auditor has issued a report that rebuffs claims that some Louisiana COVID-19 Infection numbers were inflated.  Daryl Purpera, head of the state's official auditing agency says that official numbers reported by the Louisiana Department of Health in Red River and DeSoto Parishes (and the entire state) are “generally correct.”

The announcement comes in response to claims that the totals were incorrect due to a rash of double-counting positive results.  Purpera admits that there are some well documented cases of duplicates being added into the tally, but according to the report from The Advocate, officials are aware of these doubles and have put extra steps in place to detect and correct any mistakes when reconciling the final numbers before releasing them to the public.

Reportedly, the next step for Purpera and his team is a deep, fully comprehensive review of data from the entire state looking for inconsistencies and anomalies in an effort to get a clearer picture of how and where the Coronavirus is spreading in Louisiana.  That report should be ready sometime in the coming months, and it should give lawmakers and health officials more reliable information in order to plot a safe course through this horrible pandemic.