THE SITUATION CERTAINLY REMAINS

FLUID, WE HAVE A PLAN AND WE ARE

IMPLEMENTING

THAT PLAN NOW""

DANIELLE:

RIGHT NOW THERE ARE NO CONFIRMED

CASES OF

THE CORONAVIRUS IN OHIO. NOW

PATIENTS CAN BE TESTED FOR THE

DEADLY

DISEASE RIGHT HERE IN OHIO. GOOD

EVENING I'M DANIELLE GROSSMAN.

DANIELLE:

BREAKING NEWS REGARDING THE

CORONAVIRUS. WE HAVE NEW

INFORMATION FROM GOVERNOR MIKE

DEWINE AND THE OHIO DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH.

RIGHT NOW, FIVE PEOPLE IN OHIO

ARE BEING TESTED FOR

CORONAVIRUS.

RESULTS FOR NINE PEOPLE WHO HAVE

BEEN TESTED CAME BACK NEGATIVE.

MOVING FORWARD, THEY WILL BE

RELEASING UPDATED RESULTS SEVEN

DAYS A WEEK.

OHIO'S TOP HEALTH OFFICIALS SAYS

SHE

EXPECTS TO SEE THE FIRST

CONFIRMED CASE

ANY DAY NOW.

DANIELLE:

NBC4'S ERIC HALPERIN IS LIVE AT

THE STATEHOUSE TONIGHT WHERE

HEALTH LEADERS LAID OUT THE

PLANS FOR THESE TESTS...

ERIC:

WITH TESTING NOW AVAILABLE IN

THE STATE,

WE'LL KNOW ABOUT ANY CONFIRMED

CASES

SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. RIGHT

NOW THE GOVERNOR SAYS THE

STATE CAN TEST BETWEEN 300 AND

400 PEOPLE. THAT NUMBER IS

EXPECTED TO GROW.

ERIC:

THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

SHARED SOME VIDEO OF THE TESTING

LAB WITH US TODAY. AT THE MOMENT

THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND

ONE PRIVATE LAB CAN DO THESE

TESTS FOR COVID

19.

IT'S EXPECTED THAT MORE PRIVATE

LABS AND

EVENTUALLY SOME HOSPITALS WILL

BE ABLE

TO DO THIS TESTING.

BECAUSE THERE ARE A LIMITED

NUMBER OF TESTS THE STATE WILL

BE PRIORITIZING WHO GETS

TESTED..FIRST IT'LL BE PEOPLE

WHO ARE AT

HIGHER RISK...THE ELDERLY,

PEOPLE WITH

PREEXISTING CONDITIONS. DR.

ACTON SAYS

HEALTHCARE WORKERS WILL ALSO BE

PRIORITIZED

BECAUSE OF ALL THEY'RE EXPOSED

TO.

BEFORE TESTING WAS AVAILABLE

HERE IN THE

STATE, SWABS COULD BE TAKEN HERE

BUT HAD TO

BE SENT TO THE CDC.

DR. ANDREW THOMAS, CHIEF

CLINICAL OFFICER, THE OHIO STATE

UNIVERSITY WEXNER MEDICAL

CENTER: "AS MANY OF YOU HAVE

HEARD THE TURNAROUND TIME FOR

THAT HAS BEEN A MATTER OF DAYS,

IF NOT A NUMBER OF DAYS. NOW

THAT THE TEST CAN BE DONE IN THE

STATE FOR THE SICKEST

PATIENTS THAT TURNAROUND TIME

WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY SHORTER,

WITHIN IN A DAY AS YOU'VE HEARD"

DR. AMY ACTON: "IT ALSO HELPS US

AT THE STATE LEARN A LITTLE BIT

MORE ABOUT THE SPREAD. WE CAN

BETTER UNDERSTAND THE DISEASE

WITH EACH TEST WE UNDERSTAND.

WE'LL HAVE A QUICKER TURNAROUND

TIME, BETTER INFORMATION AND

WE'RE GRATEFUL ABOUT THAT"

ERIC:

YOU WILL NEED A DOCTOR'S NOTE TO

GET A TEST.

ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNOR,

RESULTS FOR TESTS DONE AT THE

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WILL

COME BACK IN ANYWHERE FROM 8 TO

24 HOURS.

LOCAL FOR YOU IN COLUMBUS, ERIC

HALPERIN NBC4.

DANIELLE:

FEARS OF THE SPREAD OF