Health & Fitness
Ohio Launches Nursing Home Testing Program For Coronavirus
Every nursing home in Ohio will undergo some form of testing in the coming weeks, Gov. Mike DeWine said.
COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio officials are launching a new plan to halt the spread of the new coronavirus in nursing homes throughout the state. Teams of health care officials, and National Guard members, will begin mass testing of nursing home employees this week, Gov. Mike DeWine said.
Congregate care unified response teams will be sent to nursing homes throughout the state. Members of the National Guard will be part of the teams and will conduct swab tests of employees and select patients.
"Testing will occur in facilities where residents or workers have confirmed or assumed positive cases," DeWine said. "Testing will be conducted on all staff, and the testing of residents will be based on a clinically-driven strategy that targets those who have likely been exposed to COVID-19."
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Clinicians will assess who needs to be tested in each facility and National Guard members will then conduct the testing, DeWine said. Medical officials will also determine which nursing homes will be tested first based on need.
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"This will be a continuing process that will go on, certainly, for a number of weeks," the governor said.
National Guard members will also conduct testing at Ohio's eight developmental centers, which offer temporary housing and other services for adults with developmental disabilities. DeWine said testing at those facilities should be completed this week.
Tuesday's Numbers
There were 529 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed on Tuesday. Since the start of the outbreak, Ohio has confirmed at least 33,006 cases of the virus. The three-week average for daily new cases is 573.
There were also 15 new COVID-19-related deaths, 68 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 7 intensive care admissions confirmed on Tuesday. Each of those metrics is down versus their three-week average, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
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