US: 'Over 100K people have coronavirus in Ohio'
13:43, 13/03/2020, FridayU: Update: 13:45, 13/03/2020, Friday
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Coronavirus precautions at the New York City subway
State's top health official says at least 1% of population infected by COVID-19, draws attention to shortage of tests
The U.S. state of Ohio is estimated to have more than 100,000 people infected with the coronavirus, according to Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton.
Speaking alongside the state's Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in a press conference on Thursday, Acton said they know "at least 1% at the very least, 1% of our population is carrying this virus in Ohio today."
"We have 11.7 million people. So the math is over 100,000. So that just gives you a sense of how this virus spreads and is spreading quickly," she added.
The official went on to say that the shortage of test kits across the country, and the state, makes it difficult to come up with verified numbers.
"Our delay in being able to test has delayed our understanding of the spread of this," Acton said.
The official went on to say that the shortage of test kits across the country, and the state, makes it difficult to come up with verified numbers.
"Our delay in being able to test has delayed our understanding of the spread of this," Acton said.
Calling the rapid spread of the virus a "crisis situation" and urging Ohioans to avoid hospitals unless necessary, the health director said the state was taking additional precautions such as banning gatherings of over 100 people, as well as closing schools for three weeks.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, more than 1,300 people in the U.S. have currently tested positive for COVID-19, while 37 people in the country have died.
Trump administration is under heavy criticism for the slow pace of test kit distributions, and several states have said that they expect green light from federal authorities to pursue their own test kits.
U.S. Rep. for California Katie Porter Thursday said she did the math and "a full battery of coronavirus testing costs at minimum $1,331," successfully pressing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief during a congressional hearing to agree that the federal agency would pay for testing.
"I also did the legal research: the administration has the authority to make testing free for every American today. I secured a commitment from a high-level Trump official that they’d actually do it," she added.
Almost 30 U.S. states have declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak. So far, almost every state has at least one reported case.