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Scioto County Daily News
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  • Public Safety

    FROM SOFTBALL TO SPITFIRE: YOUTH SPORTS FEUD FLARES UP AGAIN! 

    Ohio Police Identification Required

    ESCAPE ON CANDY RUN ROAD: MOM & DAUGHTER FLEE DRUNK, VIOLENT HOME

    Lawrence County

    Found Dead After a Night in the Garage — Mysterious Circumstances, Locked Doors, and White Powder Clues 

    Woman phone shocked WTF weird strange

    PAROLED MAN FAILS TO COMPLY… AGAIN! TASER-POINT ARREST AFTER ATV CHASE THROUGH OTWAY

    Good Samaritan 2

    NAKED TODDLER FOUND ON SIDEWALK — EARLY MORNING SCARE IN PORTSMOUTH  

    Scioto County Court Coverage 08

    🚨 Indicted, Again: Mentally Ill Homeless Woman Faces Felony Charges as Portsmouth’s Crisis Hits Boiling Point 

    Scioto County Grand Jury Indictments

    20 New Scioto County Grand Jury Indictments

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 08/07/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    🚨DRUNK, TRAPPED, AND ASSAULTED: YOUNG WOMAN ESCAPES NIGHTMARE AFTER FRANTIC CALL FOR HELP 

    Teen Trouble Turns Violent: Juvenile Hauled Off After Outburst 

    somc-4

    “I’LL JUST DRIVE MYSELF!” WHEELERSBURG WOMAN BEATS THE AMBULANCE TO THE ER

    🚨 SHELTER IN PLACE! GUNMAN SPARKS TERRIFYING STANDOFF IN WHEELERSBURG  

    Krystal Hawley

    KIDS RESCUED FROM DANGER: MOM BUSTED AFTER WELLNESS CHECK 

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    MOTEL MELTDOWN! 8 MEN, A BABY, AND A BUSH — CUSTODY CHAOS AT THE FOUR KEYS INN

    Suspect arrested

    Condemned Homes, Hidden Camps, and Chaos: Portsmouth’s Homeless Crisis Reaches Breaking Point 

    Wild Brawl Turns Deadly? Shots Fired After Teen Melee at Mound Park  

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

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    Terry Bradley

    Shop Till You’re Cuffed: Suspected Serial Swindler Nabbed After Lowe’s, Rural King Spree 

    🚨SUSPECTED CHILD SEX ASSAULT TRIGGERS MULTI-COUNTY RESPONSE

    Jeremy Wright

    🚨 MOTEL MADNESS! MAN ACCUSED OF HOLDING WIFE HOSTAGE — SWALLOWS BAGGIE TO EVADE JAIL!

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    West Virginia SNAP

    🚨No More Free Pop? West Virginia Bans Soda from SNAP—Should Ohio Be Next?🚨 

    We Don’t Do Roads!: Scioto Commissioners Clarify Who’s Really in Charge of Road Repairs 

    “I’m Not Here to Replace Cathy”: New Commissioner Merit Smith Says He’ll Lead with Life Experience 

    Merit Smith

    Merit Smith Chosen to Fill Late Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Seat 

    Scottie Powell

    “Run on Vision, Not Attacks”: Powell Offers Advice to Candidates Vying for Cathy Coleman’s Seat 

    🌿 Bamboo Gets Fast-Tracked at City Hall — But the Homeless Crisis? Still Stuck in Neutral 

    Who Will Carry Cathy’s Torch? GOP to Choose Coleman’s Replacement July 29 

    Cathy Coleman

    Commissioners Back Senior Housing Project Championed by Late Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    “Bad and Quirky” Lucasville House Targeted for Demolition as County Cracks Down on Blighted Properties 

    ‘A Great Addition to Heaven’: Commissioners Honor Cathy Coleman, Reflect on Her Legacy and Who Might Carry It Forward 

    Cathy Coleman

    Scioto County Mourns Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    🚨TRIAL TWIST! Horton Corruption Case on Ice—For Now 

    Cathy Coleman

    Remembering Scioto County Commissioner Cathy Coleman

    somc 2

    🏥 Scioto County Approves Hospital Tax to Keep Medicaid Dollars Local 

    No Kings

    Scioto Dems Snort at “Well-Funded” No Kings Protest Claim

    Cathy Coleman

    Cathy Coleman Still Fighting: Family Shuts Down Hospice Rumors, Says Recovery Still Underway

    County May Tap Opioid Settlement Funds to Finish MARCS Tower Project 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Small Steps, Big Faith’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Edges Closer to Recovery 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Praise God!’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Remarkable Progress After Harrowing Weeks

    Cathy Coleman

    Cautious Hope and Harsh Realities: New Details Emerge on Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Condition 

  • Feel Good
    A group of friends stand around a table, smiling, laughing, and drinking. There are plates of food on the table.

    Creative Ways To Host Outdoor Events This Summer

    A family of two parents and a young boy and girl are playing laser tag with vests and laser blasters in an arena.

    What Activities To Offer at a Family Fun Center

    Shawnee State University SSU

    Shawnee State University Joins New Athletic Conference, Adds Football to Lineup 

    BREAKING: Commissioners Make Shocking Decision—Halloween to Remain on Halloween 

    Escape to the Hills: A Summer Reading List Set in Appalachia 

    Scioto County Champs: Lady Trojans and Word Wizards Bring Home the Gold 

    “I Held Those Keys Tight” — One Man’s Harrowing Journey from Addiction to Hope 

    Three girls in quinceañera dresses stand beside one another. The one in middle has a gold dress while the other two wear pink.

    Tips for Selecting the Color of a Quinceañera Dress

    The Day the Streak Ended: Lakers’ 1987 Record Broken

    An angler standing at the edge of a lake just after sunset with three fishing rods resting on the ground next to him.

    Night Fishing: Who Is It for and How Do You Start?

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    Cops Rescue Lost Man 

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    Kid Misses Bus, Deputy to the Rescue 

    A group of people stands outside with their arms in the air. They hold their hands together, making a pyramid shape.

    Hidden Gems: Community Strategies for Mental Wellness

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    Man Says He’s Trapped in Armory 

    Good Samaritan 2

    Good Neighbor and Officer to the Rescue 

    Portsmouth Flood Wall Stars

    Meet the New Flood Wall Stars! 

    A bearded man is sitting on the floor and comforting his dog in a wheelchair. The dog has his ears pinned back.

    Training Tips To Help Your Dog Get Used to Their Wheelchair

    U.S. housing market

    Tips for Making Your New House Feel Like a Home

    The Best Freshwater Fish To Catch This Summer

    The Best Freshwater Fish To Catch This Summer

    A man approaching the bowling lane with a red bowling ball as his three friends in the background cheer him on.

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  • Obituaries
    Sandra Gail (Howell) French

    Sandra Gail (Howell) French 71 of Waverly

    Harold John Meldick

    Harold John Meldick, 83 of Oak Hill

    David M. Bentley

    David M. Bentley, 73 of South Portsmouth

    Barbara Williams

    Shirley Ann Frazee, 80 of Beaver

    Robert Cecil Wilson

    Robert Cecil Wilson, 78 of Portsmouth

    Betty Rosemary Lore

    Betty Rosemary Lore, 64 of Lucasville

    Mary C. Hall

    Mary C. Hall, 73 of Piketon

    Paul Alva Winn

    Paul Alva Winn, 46 of Lucasville

    Pamela Lykins Jenkins

    Pamela Lykins Jenkins, 69 of Portsmouth

    Sophia and Olivia Boggs

    Andrea Gail Walters 43 of Wheelersburg

    Patricia Ann Bennett

    Patricia Ann Bennett, 85 of Minford

    Brian Richards

    Brian Richards of Upper Twin Creek

    Ann Thomas, 89 of Scottsboro

    Barbara Williams

    Marion Emma Wickersham, 80 of Otway

    Sheila Ann Puckett-Free

    Sheila Ann Puckett-Free, 50, of Rarden

    Gail Lynn Harris

    Gail Lynn Harris 70 of sciotoville

    Erik Lael Bryant

    Erik Lael Bryant, aged 54 of Wurtland

    Wanda F. Bender

    Wanda F. Bender, 94 of Portsmouth

    David Gershon McFadden, 84 of Wheelersburg

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Why You Can’t Get A Coronavirus Test

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
5 years ago
in Public Safety
No COVID-19 Test
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“Why can’t I get tested for COVID-19?” It’s a question I’ve heard over and over again from people. And why does it take so long for those test results to get back?

Private labs are taking up to 14 days to process results. Two weeks seems like a darn long time to wait to find out whether you’ve got a virus that has been called twice as contagious and ten times deadlier than the flu.  Last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton ordered Ohio hospitals that can’t do onsite testing to send their samples to hospitals in Ohio that could or the health department. They said these hospitals had the capacity to do more tests and could have them back within hours not weeks. So problem solved? Not at all.

Testing Order Hasn’t Helped Here

At Tuesday’s Scioto County Commissioners’ Meeting, Commissioner Bryan Davis asked Belinda Leslie from the Portsmouth City Health Department if the new testing procedure was helping. She replied, “Not really for us. We can’t get into the sites.” She went on to say that private labs are speeding up delivery of the test results.

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I was curious as to why local hospitals are unable to send tests to these labs when the state’s top health official orders hospitals to use them.  I contacted Ms. Leslie at the Portsmouth City Health Department. She told me to contact Dr. David Byers, head of Infectious Disease at SOMC.

Looking For Testing Answers

I called Dr. Byers office and spoke to his office administrator. She referred me to Community Relations at SOMC. I called and left a message. I also contacted the office of Dr. Amy Acton.

I asked why testing might not be available to hospitals in our area. Here’s what they had to say.

“If Ohio hospitals are no longer able to take samples from other hospitals and the hospital can show documentation that they did reach out, then they can still send to a private lab.”

You’ll notice it doesn’t explain why the hospitals can’t take samples. Especially since both the Governor and Dr. Acton said these facilities had capacity.

Some Answers

The next day I received a call from Bridget Scott, Administrative Director of the Laboratory at SOMC. She wasn’t able to speak as to why these hospitals with onsite labs can’t test samples from our area. But she was able to tell me some interesting things about our capabilities here.

SOMC has three testing platforms that could process samples same day. But there’s a hitch in using them that I’ll get back to in a moment.

She gave me the names of the three facilities in Ohio that do onsite testing:

  • Cleveland Clinic
  • Metro Health Cleveland
  • University Hospital in Cleveland.
  • Ohio State University

I went looking for information on their web pages about testing. And found this interesting quote on the Cleveland Clinic’s Laboratory website:

Please be aware that COVID-19 testing is being sent-out to a partnered reference laboratory because of current volumes. Cleveland Clinic Laboratories plans to make in-house testing available for clients over the coming weeks, which will be determined by internal testing capacity.  This information will be communicated when available.

So, even though they have the capability to test, they’re sending tests elsewhere. What gives?

The Answer

The problem, according to Bridget Scott, “It’s not as easy as it’s sound.” Testing for COVID-19 requires specific testing supplies. “There are still limited testing supplies and they prioritizing to areas with high numbers.”

And while you wonder why they can’t just find more swabs and tubes, these items aren’t the problem.

The missing ingredient is what’s known as reagent. Reagents are substances used to process tests. The mixture into which your sample goes. There is a worldwide shortage of reagents needed to process COVID-19 tests.

It makes sense. Nobody knew two months ago that millions of test would be required. So even if you have the machines and the personnel to run thousands of tests, without reagent, you can’t do anything. And before you ask, most of the manufacturing is done overseas.

Dr. Amy Acton spoke about reagent at Wednesday’s COVID-19 update. Like Scott, she says it’s not as easy as it sound, “Reagents are a complex brew of chemicals.  Some are biological in nature. Some are chemical. They are not things that I can mix up in a lab.  This is going to be a long haul.”

Assume Everyone Has It

Without the necessary chemicals to complete tests, what should you do? Assume you have it. Assume everyone has it. Stay home.  If you begin to show severe symptoms like difficulty breathing, call your doctor or emergency room and let them know what’s going on.

 

Tags: CoronavirusCOVID-19HealthScioto County
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