The state of Ohio is in "some tough times" and it's important to slow down the coronavirus epidemic, but there are only 1,000 testing kits available in the state's health department at a time when experts are estimating that there are over 100,000 undiagnosed cases of the disease in the state, Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday.
"The experts tell us this number will double every six days," DeWine told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "You think about that."
He based his comments on statements made Thursday by Dr. Amy Acton, the director of the Ohio Department of Health after she said about 1% of the state's population, or more than 100,000 people, have coronavirus.
The governor said he does believe that more hospitals will come online and will have the tests, but at some point, the United States will reach a place where not everyone will be able to be tested.
If there are "a million, two million people," not everyone will be tested at that point, said DeWine. "So, look, would we like more testing kits? Yeah, we would. But, we are in the same boat everybody else is."
DeWine said he has relied on health experts when he decided to order statewide school closures, beginning this coming Monday and lasting for three weeks, and when issuing a ban on mass gatherings of more than 100 people.
He added that he knew the decision to close schools would have other consequences, but he wanted to avoid problems such as what is happening in Italy, where thousands are infected and the government has ordered a complete lockdown.
"We took this action yesterday can't say to get ahead of this because you can't get ahead of it really, but to really slow this down as much as we could so that...our hospitals, and our doctors, and our whole health care system will be able to deal with what is coming up," DeWine said.
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