COLUMBUS – Testing for potential coronavirus cases in Ohio should go much quicker now that test kits for the disease have arrived, the state’s health director said.
The Ohio Department of Health has opened a call center to answer questions regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).
The kits arrived Thursday, according to Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health, who says that means officials will no longer have to wait as long as several days for test results on possible infections to be returned from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They could be ready in a matter of hours, she said
“Twenty-four hours, 48 hours at the most, sometimes as short as eight hours, so that will help us and will help our local health departments know more quickly,” Acton told reporters Thursday.
The test kit will first be calibrated before it is ready for use, which should take about two days, Acton said. A test kit the state tried to use previously proved to be ineffective, she said.
Trump administration officials doubled down on their promise to deliver 1 million of the tests this week.
The pledge came as states reported limited testing supplies and federal lawmakers expressed doubts about the government’s timeline. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters Thursday that a private manufacturer authorized to make the tests expects to ship them to U.S. laboratories by week’s end. That amounts to the capacity to test roughly 400,000 people, given that it takes multiple test samples to a confirm a result.
To help prevent the spread of the coronavirus:
Wash your hands often with soap and water.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
-Source: Ohio Dept. of Health
The U.S. death toll from the COVID-19 coronavirus has reached 12 and infections swell to more than 200 cases in 18 states. The number of infections worldwide is nearing 100,000
There are currently no confirmed cases in Ohio, three people currently being tested and 255 people have been placed under “public health supervision,” meaning they traveled to infected areas but are not exhibiting symptoms, according to the Department of Health website.
Starting tonight, spectators will be able to attend events at this year’s Arnold Sports Festival for the first time this year.
Governor Mike DeWine says, to the best of his knowledge, the organizers of the Arnold Sports Festival are complying with a state order prohibiting spectators from attending the four-day event that began Thursday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Ohio Expo Center and other venues around Columbus.
Ohio’s health director issued the order restricting spectators to parents or guardians of participating minors, the latest development in a back-and-forth debate with organizers of the festival founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Under the state order, spectators will be allowed to attend the following events at the Arnold Sports Festival:
Fri., 7:00 p.m.- 9:30 p.m., Battelle Grand, Greater Columbus Convention Center:
Fitness International—Finals
Figure International—Finals
Women’s Physique—Finals
Classic Physique—FinalsSat., 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., Battelle Grand, Greater Columbus Convention Center:
Men’s Physique—Finals
Arnold Classic—Finals
Arnold Strongman Classic
Bikini International—Finals
-Source: Ohio Dept. of Health
Festival organizers had agreed to keep fans out but did an about-face on Wednesday, saying fans would be allowed into several events.
“They always consistently said, ‘If you issue an order, we will abide by the order,’ so we expected them to do that and to my knowledge they have done that,” Gov. Mike DeWine told reporters Thursday at a press conference held during a daylong summit with state and local health officials on coronavirus preparations.
Meanwhile, in Washington, President Donald Trump has signed an $8.3 billion measure to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. The legislation provides federal public health agencies money for vaccines, tests and potential treatments.
Some of those funds will find their way to Ohio, though DeWine and Acton said they did yet know how much money the state could expect.