In second coronavirus test, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine now tests negative

Dewine coronavirus

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, left, and his wife Fran, walk into their residence after he tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, in Bexley, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)AP

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After an earlier rapid coronavirus test returned a positive result for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a second coronavirus test for DeWine, Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine and members of his staff all have come back negative, the governor’s office announced Thursday night.

The second round of testing was performed through a more sensitive test called a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR test, which detects genetic material from the new coronavirus, the governor’s office said. The earlier test, administered as DeWine traveled to greet President Donald Trump in Cleveland, delivers fast results by testing for the presence of antigens in the body, but is a relatively unproven technology and is viewed as less accurate.

“We feel confident in the PCR results from Wexner Medical Center,” DeWine’s office said in a statement, referring to the Columbus hospital where the second test was performed. “This is the same PCR test that has been used over 1.6 million times in Ohio by hospitals and labs all over the state.”

“The test administered this morning to the Governor in Cleveland, as part of the protocol required to meet the President, was an antigen test,” the statement continued. “These tests represent an exciting new technology to reduce the cost and improve the turnaround time for COVID-19 testing, but they are quite new, and we do not have much experience with them here in Ohio. We will be working with the manufacturer to have a better understanding of how the discrepancy between these two tests could have occurred.”

The development caps a tumultuous day in Ohio, and is sure to further complicate the already heated public debate about the coronavirus pandemic, COVID testing accuracy and availability, and the applicability for public policy.

DeWine’s earlier positive test meanwhile was particularly surprising because of his visibility as a cautious voice for social distancing and mask wearing. In an impromptu virtual press conference, DeWine told reporters Thursday afternoon he felt fine, and he wasn’t sure how he could have been exposed.

DeWine said he and his wife plan to undergo a second PCR test on Saturday “out of an abundance of caution.”

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