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Hours after he missed a planned meeting with President Donald Trump due to a positive COVID-19 test result, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine tested negative in a second test on Thursday.
DeWine was forced to cancel plans to greet Trump in Cleveland earlier on Thursday due to testing positive for the virus. However, a test given later in the day indicated contradictory results.
"UPDATE: In a second COVID-19 test administered today in Columbus, Governor Mike DeWine has tested negative for COVID-19," DeWine's account tweeted. "First Lady Fran DeWine and staff members have also all tested negative."
The PCR 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 twice. They came back negative the first time and came back negative when they were run on a second diagnostic platform.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) August 7, 2020
The first test given to DeWine had been an antigen test, a less common type of test that can produce fast results but are also known to sometimes produce inaccurate results. The second was a PCR test, which are more commonly used and believed to be significantly more accurate.
The PCR test was run twice, with all test results for DeWine, as well as his wife and staff, coming back negative. A third round of testing is planned for Saturday.
"Out of an abundance of caution, and at the direction of medical professionals, the Governor and First Lady plan on having another PCR test on Saturday," tweeted DeWine. "Results of these tests will also be released."
DeWine took the first test as part of standard protocol for those meeting with the president. The governor had planned to meet with Trump before the president's planned tour of a Whirlpool factory followed by a campaign fundraiser. He instead returned to Columbus, where he took the second test.
"I want to just say that a very good friend of mine just tested positive, do you know that? Our great governor, Governor of Ohio DeWine, just tested positive, just here," Trump said after arriving in Cleveland. "And we want to wish him the best. He'll be fine."
During a virtual news conference after his initial test, DeWine expressed surprise at the result due to the preventative measures he had been closely following, such as wearing a face mask. He remarked that he had a headache, which he said was not unusual, but otherwise felt "fine."
DeWine also addressed those who refuse to wear masks during the news conference, saying he hoped his positive test would not project the "wrong message." He noted that experts do not believe masks entirely eliminate the risk but do significantly "improve your odds."
Ohio state Rep. Nino Vitale, who has refused to wear a mask because he believes doing so would obscure God's image, quickly commented on Facebook that he did not wish DeWine harm but felt he "must" ask the question "do masks not stop the spread" given DeWine's result. Vitale's Facebook page had not been updated with a comment on DeWine's second test at time of publication.
Newsweek reached out to DeWine's office for comment.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more