DeWine: OSU, Ohio Dept. of Health to ensure COVID-19 testing components are produced in Ohio

COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a partnership between Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Health to begin improving the capacity of COVID-19 coronavirus testing.

Most states, including Ohio, are finding themselves unable to do as many tests as they want to, DeWine said.

DeWine said OSU and ODH will begin producing the tests – the swabs, the tubes, and the transportation liquid used – in Ohio.

The governor said the state ran into a problem in the supply chain for the tests.

“Some days, there’s not the liquid, some days, there’s not the tube, some days, there’s not the swab, and frankly, we got tired of that,” DeWine said.

In addition, DeWine said the state is working to make sure the machines that process the tests are available as well.

To this end, the governor also announced that four large hospitals in the state – the Cleveland Clinic, Metro Health, University Hospitals, and OSU – are now able to process tests from other hospitals, which DeWine said would make getting results quicker. He added the state is talking to several more hospitals and hopes to get them the capability to process tests in the coming days.

The effort is an attempt to help the smaller hospitals across the state.

“This is important to patients, it is important to all of us that we get results back quick,” DeWine said.