On Aug. 20, 230 persons were tested for COVID-19 at a drive-through test site held on the campus of Rhodes State College and The Ohio State University Lima Campus.

Allen County Public Health partnered with the Ohio National Guard and the Ohio Department of Health to host this site.

Community partners that assisted in providing the testing opportunity also include Allen County EMA, Allen County ODOT, Ohio State Highway Patrol – Lima Post, Allen County Sheriff, Lima Police Department, Bath Township Fire Department, and Allen County Traffic Control.

Of the 230 individuals tested, 157 were residents of Allen County. 38% of individuals tested were age 60 and over, and 17% were age 20-29 years.

Of the tests performed on Allen County residents, 4 returned positive results, indicating a 2.5% positivity rate for the event.

As of Aug. 22, the positivity rate for the state of Ohio was 4.0%. Two additional positive test results were returned for individuals residing outside of Allen County. If an individual received testing at this event and has not been notified of their results, they should contact Allen County Public Health at 419-228-4457.

The testing event was part of the State of Ohio’s initiative to ensure that testing is available to all residents of Ohio without barriers – no fees were charged to the participants.

Participants also did not need to bring an order from a medical provider to have the COVID-19 test performed. Over 100 testing events such as this have been held across the state of Ohio. 

Currently there are no additional events planned for testing of this type in Allen County. For information on what testing sites are available in Allen County visit allencountypublichealth.org. You can also find information on pop-up testing sites across the state at coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Allen County Public Health encourages all residents to continue fighting the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, keeping at least six feet apart from others whenever possible and washing their hands frequently.