COVID-19 Update: Testing Priority
May 4, 2020
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Governor DeWine today provided an update on Ohio’s plan for increased COVID-19 testing.
A new partnership announced last week between the state of Ohio, Thermo Fisher, and ROE Dental Scientific will allow for a steady supply of testing reagent and swabs. With Ohio’s new increased testing capacity, Ohio will prioritize testing in the following categories:
“It’s important to remember, that testing is only one response to this virus. It allows us to quickly identify individuals infected with COVID-19, promptly isolate them, and determine who they’ve been in close contact with to minimize the spread,” said Governor DeWine. “Increased testing capacity does not replace infection control and prevention practices such as social distancing, wearing a mask, washing your hands, and sanitizing high-touch surfaces.”
CURRENT OHIO DATA:
There are 20,474 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 1,090 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 3,809 people have been hospitalized, including 1,090 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Video of today’s full update, including versions with foreign language closed captioning, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel’s YouTube page.
For more information on Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.