ADVERTISEMENT

    DeWine Eases Testing Limits Amid False Unlimited Testing Claims

    By Marty Schladen

    ADVERTISEMENT

    As he leads the state through a historic pandemic, Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine has an apparently unbreakable rule: Don’t cross Trump.

    In his press conference Thursday, DeWine again addressed the inadequacy of Ohio’s coronavirus testing program. 

    For example, he announced a fourth tier of Ohioans who are now eligible for state tests. People who have coronavirus symptoms, regardless of whether they have compromised health or meet earlier criteria, can now receive tests administered by the Ohio Department of Health, DeWine said. 

    That leaves Ohio a long way from having enough capacity to allow testing so people can be sure it’s safe for them to visit loved ones who are particularly at risk.

    “My job is to bring more testing to the state of Ohio. We’re working on it,” DeWine said Thursday.

    Earlier, the governor has boasted of the state’s wins in the battle for expanded testing capacity and bemoaned its struggles. 

    For example, he’s celebrated signing a long-term contract for the chemical reagent used in the tests. But he’s also said supply-chain snarls have kept the state from having enough swabs to collect sufficient samples to use that reagent and testing machines at capacity.

    Then on Tuesday, President Donald Trump took credit for the states’ work while vastly exaggerating at least Ohio’s progress in expanding testing.

    “We made most Governors look very good, even great, by getting them the Ventilators, unlimited Testing, and supplies, all of which they should have had in their own stockpiles,” Trump said in a tweet. “So they look great, and I just keep rolling along, doing great things and getting Fake Lamestream News!”

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1265296994056183809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    It’s far from the first false statement the president has made in reference to coronavirus testing. Trump, wearing a “Keep America Great” ball cap, on March 6 toured the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta. 

    “Anybody that wants a test can get a test. That’s what the bottom line is,” he told reporters at a time when only a tiny number of tests were available. 

    Kaiser Health News and Politifact rated the claim “Pants on Fire.”

    However, DeWine wouldn’t answer Thursday when he was twice asked whether the federal government had supplied Ohio with unlimited coronavirus testing as Trump had claimed.

    “Well let me say this. The president and the vice president, every time I have called them, they have been very responsive,” DeWine, who has filed to be a Trump delegate at this year’s GOP convention, said the first time he was asked. 

    The governor added that on Wednesday he had talked to Vice President Mike Pence twice about testing. He said Trump and Pence have been “exceedingly responsive” during the crisis and in discussions between the administration and governors “the focus has totally been on them trying to help us the best way that they can.”

    Asked again if it’s accurate to say the federal government has supplied Ohio with unlimited testing, DeWine said, “Look, I think we all started off with not enough testing nationwide and then spoke of the things he thinks the nation has learned from its coronavirus experience.”

    The responses didn’t go over well in at least parts of the twitterverse.

    “Two months ago, I could maybe see not wanting to piss Trump off, because we might need federal help,” one user said. “Where has staying on his ‘good’ side gotten us? Where are the tests?”

    This article was republished with permission from Ohio Capital Journal. For more in Ohio political news, visit www.ohiocapitaljournal.com.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Ohio Colleges Impacted by Supreme Court’s Anti-Diversity Ruling

    At least seven Ohio public universities are reviewing scholarships in the wake of comments Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost made about race-based scholarships after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions. 

    Fracking! Coming Soon to a State Park Near You

    The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission picked the “highest and best” bidders to lease parts of a state park and two wildlife areas for fracking Monday.

    Should Ohio Raise the Cigarette Tax?

    Ohio has the fourth-highest rate of cigarette smoking in the United States, bringing with it all the expenses associated with the sickness and disability caused by smoking. But how to most effectively bring that rate down is a matter of some debate, according to a survey of a panel of Ohio economists that was released last week.

    There’s a Lot Going on in the New Ohio Education Bill

    The Ohio Senate passed a bill requiring Ohio universities and community colleges to be more transparent with costs but not before tacking on more than $1.4 billion in state spending proposals.

    Report: Ohio Prosecuted Over 200 HIV-Related Crimes Last Decade

    A new report from two Ohio organizations shows more than 200 cases of “HIV-related prosecutions” in Ohio.
    Ohio Capital Journal
    Ohio Capital Journalhttps://ohiocapitaljournal.com
    The Ohio Capital Journal is a hard-hitting, independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to connecting Ohioans to their state government and its impact on their lives. The Capital Journal combines Ohio state government coverage with relentless investigative journalism, deep dives into the consequences of policy, political insight and principled commentary.
    ADVERTISEMENT