Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine tested negative for the coronavirus Thursday after testing positive earlier that day, according to The Wall Street Journal.
DeWine first tested positive for the virus Thursday before his scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump in Cleveland, the WSJ reported. DeWine’s office said the 73-year-old governor doesn’t have any symptoms, according to the WSJ. (RELATED: Republican Gov. Mike DeWine Tests Positive For Coronavirus)
The second test DeWine and his staff took is known as a PCR test, which screens for the “genetic material specific for the virus that causes COVID-19,” the governor’s office said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“This test is known to be extremely sensitive, as well as specific, for the virus. The PCR tests for the Governor, First Lady, and staff were run two times. They came back negative the first time and came back negative when they were run on a second diagnostic platform,” the statement said.
UPDATE: In a second COVID-19 test administered today in Columbus, Governor Mike DeWine has tested negative for COVID-19. First Lady Fran DeWine and staff members have also all tested negative. pic.twitter.com/0Ixap90mJg
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) August 7, 2020
“We feel confident in the results from Wexner Medical Center. 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,” the governor’s office statement said.
The first test DeWine took Thursday was an antigen test, the governor’s office said, which detects viral proteins of the coronavirus. The tests “are quite new, and we do not have much experience with them here in Ohio,” the statement said, adding that the state will work with the test’s manufacturer to understand why the discrepancy occurred.
DeWine and his wife will be tested again on Saturday “(out) of an abundance of caution,” the statement said.
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma was the first governor to test positive for the coronavirus in July, according to NBC News. Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas also tested positive ahead of a scheduled visit with the president. Republican Sen. Rand Paul also tested positive for the virus, according to his office.
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