Amid a spike in local cases, the Ohio National Guard will be in Marysville to offer additional COVID-19 testing.
The National Guard will provide an additional day of testing on Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Union County Services Building, 940 London Avenue, Marysville.
The Union County Health Department partners with Lower Lights Christian Health Center to offer testing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the same location.
UCHD Public Information Officer Jennifer Thrush said residents will not see a difference between testing offered by the National Guard and Lower Lights Christian Health Center, aside from those administering the tests wearing fatigues.
Thrush said a National Guard liaison previously contacted UCHD to help offer additional testing in the area.
Following a rise in cases locally, she said demand for testing “was pretty high last week,” so UCHD asked the National Guard to come to Union County.
Thrush said the National Guard is only confirmed to offer testing in Marysville on Tuesday, Nov. 10 but the local health department is working to secure additional Tuesdays in the future.
Those interested are encouraged to sign up online at https://unioncountycovid.org/testing/. Thrush said those being tested are encouraged to talk with their doctor first, but a referral is not required.
According to UCHD, 201 new cases of COVID-19 were reported among Union County residents between Oct. 27 and Nov. 6.
“This is a sharp increase in cases in comparison to what we’ve experienced previously,” according to a statement from the health department.
As of Friday, the most recent day UCHD data is available, 158 individuals are actively ill and in isolation. Four individuals are currently hospitalized.