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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announces the purchase of two million at-home COVID-19 tests

The tests will be made available to the state's local and county health departments.

CEDARVILLE, Ohio — The state of Ohio has announced a breakthrough in its effort to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

During his briefing on Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine stated that Ohio has entered into a partnership with Abbott and eMed for the purchase of two million at-home BinaxNow rapid antigen tests that can be self-administered with results in about 15 minutes. 

The tests will be made available to the state's local and county health departments.

"Through an agreement with eMed to provide telehealth services, an individual who uses one of these tests can be guided by a proctor and will get the results in minutes, without having to visit a testing location," DeWine explained.

DeWine says the agreement will allow communities to more aggressively test for COVID-19 than at any other time during the pandemic. The $50 million investment using CARES Act funding will help make testing more broadly available, according to the governor.

DeWine was joined in the announcement by EMed CEO Dr. Patrice Harris, the former head of the American Medical Association.

"We believe this is a model for innovative testing. A tool in the toolbox to mitigate spread and get the state of Ohio back to school, work, and play," Harris stated

You can watch Gov. DeWine's COVID-19 briefing from Thursday in the player below:

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