Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Staff Test Negative For Coronavirus

COLUMBUS, OH — Gov. Mike DeWine has now tested negative for COVID-19, his office announced.

After initially testing positive for the virus on Thursday morning, the governor took a second COVID-19 test, called a PCR test, when he arrived back in Columbus. The second test returned negative results on Thursday evening.

"We feel confident in the results from Wexner Medical Center. This is the same PCR test that has been used over 1.6 million times in Ohio by hospitals and labs all over the state," DeWine's office said in a statement.

Fran DeWine, the governor's wife, and DeWine's staff were also tested for the virus. They all tested negative.

A PCR test looks for specific genetic material related to COVID-19. The test is "extremely sensitive," the governor's office said. The tests run on DeWine, his wife and staff, came back negative and were then examined again on a second diagnostic platform. They came back negative a second time.

The governor was given an antigen test prior to a scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump. The governor's office said Ohio medical officials don't have much experience with antigen tests, which are a newer technology.

"We will be working with the manufacturer to have a better understanding of how the discrepancy between these two tests could have occurred," DeWine's office said.

Mike and Fran DeWine will have a second PCR test performed on Saturday. The governor's office said the results of the tests will be shared publicly.