COVID-19 Mass Testing Clinics To Open Around Ohio

CANTON, OH — The Ohio National Guard will open seven COVID-19 mass testing sites around the state.

The testing clinics will divert patients away from emergency rooms and preserve beds in hospitals, Gov. Mike DeWine said.

New testing sites will be opened in: Canton, Chillicothe, Cincinnati, Mansfield, Springfield, Toledo and Zanesville. The Guard will also expand testing capacity at locations around Dayton, according to Gov. Mike DeWine's office.

The Guard is already operating mass testing sites in Cleveland, Columbus and Akron.

"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 in a statement. “I commend Guard members for their commitment to their fellow Ohioans as they answer the call to serve.”

Each testing site will be run in collaboration with local hospitals. Guard members have also been deployed to hard-hit medical facilities to provide direct care for patients or to provide service and support to existing staff.

Guard members have either already been deployed to testing sites or will be deployed soon, DeWine's office said in a statement.

Ohio has a record-setting number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals (6,177) and intensive care units, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.