The testing was free and open to anyone, with no doctor’s not required.
>> DeWine: Mask order may cover ‘a lot more counties’ this week
If someone tests positive for coronaviurs, Public Health will call. Negative test results will be mailed.
Long lines and plenty of face masks were spotted at the fairgrounds Monday morning as people waited to be tested.
Dan Suffletto of Public Health stressed that of all places, a coronavirus testing site is especially somewhere people should take wearing a mask seriously.
“There’s no doubt there’s people here right now with COVID,” he said. “So you want to make sure you’re keeping your distance, you’re wearing your mask and taking the proper precautions.”
While he acknowledged that masks can be uncomfortable, they’re one of the only ways to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
>> PHOTOS: Lines form early at Huber Heights coronavirus testing site
“We have wearing the mask, we have social distancing and we have hand washing and sanitation,” Suffletto said. “Those things are the only thing we have because there’s no vaccine at this point and there’s no reliable treatment. So it’s very important we do these interventions to try and stop the spread.”
Slowing the spread of the virus is especially important as Montgomery County has seen a surge in cases and hospitalizations due to coronavirus in the last few weeks.
“We’re seeing people who are sick for months at a time; they’re not fully recovered,” he said. “It’s impacting their life with potential long-term effects down the road. And if you’re someone who doesn’t have health care or you maybe only get paid when you actually go to work and don’t get paid sick time, if you’re sick for two months that’s going to be a major problem for you besides just the health implications.”
On Thursday and Friday, pop-up testing sites were in Huber Heights and Trotwood. About 1,000 people are estimated to have been tested at each location.
Public Health has received about 66 test results from Thursday’s pop-up site.
>> Foodbank to hold mass food distribution at Nutter Center this week
Montgomery County is a Red Alert Level 3 Public Emergency county as dictated by the Ohio Department of Health. It is one of 19 counties in the state where masks are mandated. As of Saturday, July 18, Montgomery County has 2,939 reported cases of coronavirus and 45 people have died from COVID-19.
Montgomery County reportedly triggered five out of seven indicators for a Red Alert County as of Tuesday, July 14. The County reported 680 new cases in the prior weeks and saw an increase in average new cases per day from an average of 48 new cases on June 23 to an average of 60 cases on July 12.
About the Authors
