Two more possible case of coronavirus in Ohio came back negative this week. A third person is currently being tested.
The Ohio Department of Health is not releasing any information about people under investigation (PUI), and will not issue press releases for negative test results going forward, said press secretary Melanie Amato. Any updates will be communicated on the department's website.
“Now if we do have a positive case, we are going to alert people immediately, and that means we probably will send out better communications to let everyone know,” Amato said.
That’s different from the announcement of negative tests for two Miami University students a few weeks ago.
“The Miami situation was different. It was the first one that we had in the state of Ohio,” Amato said. “Miami University asked us to come down and announce when there was a PUI and when those results came back, whether it was negative or positive.”
As of Tuesday four tests in Ohio have been negative and one is still pending.
The coronavirus risk for Ohioans is still low, Amato said. No cases have been found in the state.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has provided ODH with kits to diagnose the virus without sending samples to the federal agency, Amato said. But ODH is still working through quality control and verification processes, Amato said, and is not yet using CDC-provided tests.
The CDC has confirmed 13 coronavirus cases nationwide since January.
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