Posted on 12/22/2021 4:25:46 AM PST by EBH
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Ohio National Guard Major General John C. Harris, Jr on Monday offered new details on the effort to help Northeast Ohio hospitals deal with the surge in COVID cases and the testing site that opened in University Circle.
Due to high demand, the line was cut off, after three hours, at the community COVID-19 testing site in Cleveland, staffed by the Ohio National Guard and the Ohio Department of Health.
The two are holding the event with support from the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.
As of 12:05 p.m., Cleveland Clinic officials said anyone not currently in line would be turned away. The site will open again at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Major General Harris said during the press conference that the testing site shows just how great is the demand for testing.
He said the testing site is accomplishing what they set out to do – to lessen the burden on ER workers.
The National Guard will take their direction from ODH and is expecting to see a large number of guardsmen and women being deployed to hospitals on Thursday as cases continue to surge.
Major General Harris said it takes time to deploy members due to COVID screening and HIPPA training.
He said they are reconsidering the location of the testing site after they needed to cut off the large line on Monday morning and its hinderance to the city’s traffic.
Regular testing protocols will be in place for the guard members through out their deployment.
“Rapid self-testing kits may be available at many retail pharmacies in your community. You may also try to schedule a testing appointment online with health systems and clinics,” the Cleveland Clinic said in a release. “Please do not go to the emergency department for a COVID-19 test.”
The testing is located in the garage of the W. O. Walker Building in University Circle at 10524 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland.
Cars began lining up before 9 a.m. on the first day.
It’ll be open through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week, but closed on Saturday, December 25.
You don’t need an appointment but will need to register before to coming to the site. **For now, registration has been paused, due to overwhelming demand for testing.**
The testing is free and open to everyone. You’ll need to wear a mask except during testing.
You don’t need a doctor’s order to get a test.
You’ll take a PCR test and have your results in 2-3 days.
Northeast Ohio is currently experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections and, starting Tuesday, Northeast Ohio hospitals will limit COVID-19 testing in emergency departments to patients who are going to be admitted to the hospital.
The ODH, Cleveland Clinic and UH ask those in need of testing to use the Walker Center Cleveland Community COVID-19 Testing Site instead of the ER so that emergency department personnel can focus on urgent medical emergencies.
On Monday, 1,050 Ohio Army National Guard troops began fanning out across the state to help hospitals manage large numbers of COVID-19 patients.
The ODH is offering free rapid at-home antigen testing kits at many sites across the state of Ohio, including local health departments, public libraries, and community health centers. These self-testing kits may also be available for purchase at local pharmacies and retailers.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines say that if a patient is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and receives a positive test result on a self-test kit, that person does not need a PCR test to confirm a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, and should immediately isolate and work with public health officials for any necessary contact tracing.
Cuyahoga County has one of the highest COVID-19 rates in nation ODH says it is working closely with the Ohio National Guard to train them as quickly and safely as possible before deployment in a series of waves. They anticipate that by later this week, all 150 clinical Ohio National Guard members will be deployed, along with up to 600 non-clinical Ohio National Guard staff, with the remaining 300 Ohio National Guard members to be deployed next week.
A list of specific hospital facilities utilizing the Ohio National Guard is not yet available.
Maybe not.
Did you see a number for the people tested?
Cars lined up take up a lot more space than a line of people.
I’m calling BS on this story.
I don’t think there is hysteria.
I think that’s what they’re attempting to create.
Probably testing for flying
I live here.
Yes, there is mass hysteria happening. I have spoken with a number of my own clients who are canceling their travel. They are scared. I am wondering how much of this is a hypochondriac response at this point.
You cannot even buy a home test kit in any pharmacy right now. They are all sold out.
Still not a real deployment.
I think there is. Local testing site here in MD is usually about ten cars long. This morning it’s hundreds. Probably with people freaked out with the common cold.
Cars began lining up for the COVID-19 testing site at the W.O. Walker Building in Cleveland more than two hours before it opened Tuesday morning, December 21,2021. Hundreds of cars wrapped for blocks around the building by the time it opened shortly after 9 a.m. The site will be opened 9 a.m.-5 p.m.through Sunday, December 26 (excluding Christmas Day) and will be staffed by the Ohio National Guard and Ohio Department of Health.
by mid-afternoon they were wrapped around blocks and all the way out to MLK Blvd. 2 miles away and spilling onto the expressway.
More than 1,000 people were tested on Tuesday, but the high demand forced the line to be cut off after three hours.
Scared of what?
CoupFlu?
Deep State?
The latter scares me far more than the coof.
As for the test kits...are we talking shortage or scarcity?
There is a diff.
And I can easily see Deep State keeping testing supplies artificially tight to generate hysteria.
If that’s the case, then sold out doesn’t mean much, does it?
Tin soldiers and Biden’s coming....
“home test kit”
I was sent one by United health care. I threw it away. If the 2 moderna death shots I took so as to to see my parents in assisted living aren’t enough, screw it.
Thanks for the link.
But it leaves me with more questions.
And I’m still calling BS on that 1,000 number.
Are they suggesting they took 333 samples per hour?!
Cuyahoga County ranks third among U.S. counties for most COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population
https://www.cleveland.com/coronavirus/2021/12/cuyahoga-county-ranks-third-among-us-counties-for-most-covid-19-cases-per-100000-population.html
You figure it out.
NYS counts probables, asymptomatics, and repeat positives of the same patient as new cases.
Does OH?
If so, you figure it out.
I know where the line is. Depending on the time of day that area is always very busy and from the looks of the pictures I’ve seen it’s just a traffic jam that probably has very little to do with the COVID testing. Just more fear porn propaganda.
Oh, gee, per Big Med they do count probables...
https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/map/ohio
That explains a lot, eh?
I wonder how much money is made on each test. When things seem absurd...follow the money.
Never have I doubted so many institutions as I do today. We are being fed so many lies it is hard to discern what is true and what is not. And if you try to do that yourself and not accept everything you are told, you are considered a danger or a nut case.
My doctor wanted me to get the first shot just a couple months after I recovered from Covid. I trusted him very much for 30 years. When I balked and he argued with me.... the trust was finished.
While I mistrusted the media for many years, I did trust the medical. No more. I was not anti vax prior to this ‘pandemic’ but I will be extremely cautious from now on.
But wait, they are passing out something for FREE!
Got a have it before they run out!!
Then I can attend Christmas with the family!
A lot of those poor suckers are working people whose management demands they keep testing, over and over again
That’s crazy. If you don’t have symptoms, why get tested and risk catching it from the test people? If you do have symptoms, you shouldn’t be waiting in line all day but at a real clinic.
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