These rapid tests aren’t as accurate as the more common tests where a nasal swap is sent to a lab, in fact, laboratory results were negative for DeWine’s second test administered Thursday in Columbus, according to a release Thursday night from his office.
However, with lab backups and the urgency to getting quick results with a highly contagious virus, public health experts say there’s a place for both types of tests in the overall strategy to stamping out sparks of outbreak.
DeWine said the states are joining together to ramp up the use of this type of test in order to “detect outbreaks sooner with faster turnaround time; expand testing in congregate settings such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities; and make testing more accessible for the most high-risk and hard-hit communities.”