Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Tests Negative for COVID-19 on His Second Test

On Thursday, just hours after testing positive before he was set to greet President Trump at the Cleveland airport, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tested negative for COVID-19.

Fox News reported that DeWine returned to Columbus instead of meeting with the president. He was then tested for the coronavirus a second time. According to his office, the second test was “extremely sensitive, as well as specific, for the virus.”

“The PCR tests for the Governor, First Lady, and staff were run twice,” the statement said. “They came back negative the first time and came back negative when they were run on a second diagnostic platform.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Thursday afternoon that he had tested positive for coronavirus, but said later on that he had tested negative for Covid-19 later on in the evening. https://t.co/3cbrrxnU08 pic.twitter.com/oQplKOrl2t

— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) August 7, 2020

The second test, which was a PCR test administered that afternoon, was different than the rapid antigen test administered earlier in the morning. The first one was part of the standard protocol required in order to meet the president, Fox News explained.

“We will be working with the manufacturer to have a better understanding of how the discrepancy between these two tests could have occurred,” the statement reads.

“We feel confident in the results from Wexner Medical Center,” his office said of the PCR test. “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.”

Both DeWine and his wife plan to have another PCR test on Saturday to confirm their results.

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