PARMA, Ohio — After more than a month of complaints about limited testing supplies, more COVID-19 tests are on the way to Cuyahoga County, according to county health officials.
"As more test kits come our way we are deploying on an intentional strategy to ensure we are getting people tested who haven't been tested yet and are at really high risk," said Cuyahoga County Board of Health Medical Director Dr. Heidi Gullett.
A lack of testing supplies limited much of the testing to medical workers and patients already hospitalized, Gullett said.
She also said new shipments have allowed doctors to test residents of nursing homes and staff who aren't showing symptoms of the virus as well as inmates and workers in the county jail, homeless residents and those working in shelters.
Right now, Gullett said the health department has a "few thousand" test kits but she hopes that number will grow.
Health officials said even with the increase in available tests, it's not still adequate to determine how many people are sick and to get them isolated and track who else patients may have exposed to the virus.
Gullett said that will be especially important as Ohio begins to reopen parts of its economy.
"I hope by next week I can report to you even more test kits and even more about a community testing strategy," Gullett said.
