CLEVELAND — University Hospitals has joined Cleveland Clinic in announcing it now has the ability to test patients for coronavirus in its own laboratories.
The system says this will allow for those being tested to get quicker results, and that it will help doctors better identity those who need to be isolated or have been exposed. Sick and hospitalized patients will get top priority.
The two facilities are also partnering on a drive-through testing program that will begin on Saturday morning for Cleveland Clinic patients and on Monday for UH patients that have doctor's orders.
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Testing is rapidly expanding throughout Northeast Ohio and the United States, and the Trump administration on Friday even announced a new website to help screen those who are ill. The Cleveland Clinic is also currently able test about 500 people a day, according to Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton.
13 Ohioans have so far been confirmed to have the coronavirus, and that number is expected to only keep going up. UH says it will continue to screen and prioritize patients and is encouraging anyone with symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath to contact a doctor immediately.