Last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that people who are low risk or without COVID-19 symptoms can now request a test.

“Until now, we have very much had a scarcity mindset because we had a very real scarcity of testing resources, but that mindset needs to change,” said DeWine. “Testing is a very important weapon in our arsenal as we continue to wage war against a very real enemy. By understanding who is sick, whether they are showing symptoms or not, we are able to better prevent the spread of the COVID-19.”

So far in Brown County, 33 people have recovered from the virus and 11 are currently recovering at home. Nobody is currently hospitalized and one person died from the virus on March 29.

The local healthcare system in Brown County is moving to meet the expected increase in demand for testing but is not quite there yet.

Healthcare providers still remain the gatekeepers for COVID-19 tests within the county. The capacity for local “on demand” testing without a pre-screening is not yet available.

Lisa Jackson is the Vice President for Marketing and Development for Healthsource of Ohio.

She said that Healthsource currently has three sites that offer drive-up testing by appointment only at the Wilmington, Loveland and Georgetown offices.

“If you are experiencing symptoms, call our office for an appointment and we will evaluate your symptoms. If you are asymptomatic, we ask that you wait until we get expanded testing capacity,” said Jackson. “The hope is to expand to more sites in the near future.”

Jackson added that anyone who is concerned that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 is welcome to call.

“We are prioritizing patients who are sick, but if someone is very concerned about it, they need to contact the Georgetown office and talk to a clinician to see if the testing availability is there,” she said.

“Our goal is to expand this to a much greater part of our service area, but getting supplies and staff together is not something that can be done with the flip of a switch.”

Jackson said that Healthsource will announce expansion plans for testing as soon as possible, perhaps even as early as next week.

“We are working to be good community partners and be a place where you can get your testing,” she said.

Public Health Nurse Pamela Williams said that the situation is the same at the Brown County Health Department, which is not a testing center.

“People who want testing should call their health care provider. If they do not have a healthcare provider, they can call Healthsource of Ohio. They must call ahead for a prescreening. They can’t just show up,” Williams said.

When asked about how the community was still being affected by the presence of COVID-19 and all of the disruptions that come with it, Williams said “I think the community is divided over it. Some people are taking it very seriously and some others are not taking it seriously enough.”

She added that higher temperatures aren’t necessarily a magic wand against the virus.

“Just because it’s warm outside, that doesn’t mean it’s going away. We don’t know that for a fact,” Williams said.

“The more that people are together, the more they relax their hygiene practices the more likely the virus is to spread. If people remain aware that COVID-19 is not just going to disappear, then I think people can get together in groups responsibly.”

Williams said that it is still very important to follow social distancing, and sanitizing guidelines and strongly recommends wearing masks in public.

A “pop up” testing center where appointments are not necessary will be open in Cincinnati at the CityLink Center at 800 Bank St. from 10am until 3 pm on June 23, 24 and 25.

More “pop up” sites could be announced soon.

The nearest Healthsource of Ohio location can be found at https://www.healthsourceofohio.org/locations/