After testing positive earlier in the day for COVID-19 while awaiting the arrival of President Trump at Burke Airport in Cleveland, Governor Mike DeWine subsequently tested negative, twice, upon returning to Columbus, according to a statement put out by the governor's office late in the day on Thursday.
The governor, his wife and his staff were all given PCR tests which look "for the specific RNA for the SARS CoV-2 -- in other words, the genetic material specific for the virus which causes COVID-19," according to the press release. The tests were run twice and came back negative both times.
In the statement, the governor's office expressed confidence in the results of the tests performed at Wexner Medical Center.
The test given to the governor earlier in the day was an antigen test as part of what's required to meet the president. The statement goes on to say that while it represents an exciting new technology, "they are quite new, and we do not have much experience with them here in Ohio." It goes on to say that the office will work with the manufacturer to get a better understanding of how the discrepancy between the two tests could have occured.
The governor's office says that DeWine and his wife will take another PCR test this weekend as a precaution.
