COLUMBUS, Ohio — Members of the Ohio National Guard are being deployed to expand COVID-19 testing locations in nine cities, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.
What You Need To Know
- The Ohio National Guard will help expanding testing locations in nine cities
- Ohio is reporting record numbers for COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations
- DeWine said the testing sites will divert patients from busy emergency rooms
Starting this week, the state is expanding testing capacity and opening new testing locations in partnership with hospitals and health systems, officials said.
“The locations, which are intended to divert testing traffic from hospital emergency rooms, come as the state is experiencing the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations during the pandemic,” the governor’s office said in a release.
About 300 members of the Ohio National Guard will work at COVID-19 testing sites, officials said. Ohio has deployed a total of 2,300 members of the Ohio National Guard to support hospitals amid the record-breaking surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“As the demand for COVID-19 testing increases, adding to the pressure our hospitals are facing, members of the Ohio National Guard will continue to play a critical role in the state’s response,” DeWine said.
The Ohio National Guard will be deployed to testing sites in Canton, Zanesville, Mansfield, Chillicothe, Toledo, Springfield and Cincinnati.
In Dayton, capacity will be expanded at existing testing locations. In Cleveland, Akron and Columbus, testing operations are already receiving support from the Ohio National Guard.
Seven-day average cases in Ohio rose to 18,952 on Monday, while 6,177 patients were hospitalized with the virus. The seven-day average test positivity rate was 30.8%.