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Access to COVID-19 tests becoming difficult around the Miami Valley

By WHIO Staff
By WHIO Staff

MIAMI VALLEY — As COVID-19 cases rise across the state of Ohio, more people are trying to get tested.

Amid the higher demand, some people are having difficulty finding COVID-19 tests.

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Dayton Public Library says they have seen more demand for COVID-19 rapid tests and they are struggling to maintain.

Claudine Bennett, the external relations manager for the Dayton Metro Library, said they cannot seem to keep at-home tests in stock as new variants emerge and people begin to travel more during the holiday season.

As of Tuesday afternoon, all 18 of the Dayton Metro Library branches were completely out of the rapid at-home tests.

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“We are giving them out as quickly as they arrive in our branches,” Bennett said.

Not only are people finding it hard to access rapid tests, some employers require that their employees go to a testing site or see a doctor instead of using the at-home tests.

Sophia Walker works in human resources. She told News Center 7′s Candace Price that they do not accept at home tests where she works because they do not know if they are 100 percent accurate.

WHIO-TV checked online with CVS and Walgreens before noon Tuesday, and the earliest available appointment for a PCR test in Dayton was Wednesday morning.

Hospital-run COVID-19 testing sites in Dayton typically require a doctor referral and an appointment.

A spokesperson for Kettering Health told News Center 7′s Candace Price if someone tries to schedule later on in the day, they will have to wait the next day for an appointment.

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In an emailed statement Warren County Health District said, “In Warren County we are seeing a higher demand for testing due to more exposure of Covid. We are doing our best to provide testing in a timely manner for those who are symptomatic.”

Meanwhile, Public Health Dayton & Montgomery County says they no longer offer COVID-19 testing, but that could change if demand continues to increase.



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