Woodkirk Stone
LANCASTER, Ohio (WCMH) – As more COVID-19 home tests come into the hands of the public, local health departments are rolling out ways to report positive cases.
Health officials said these positive test results are meant to be reported, and now Fairfield County residents can report their results on the health department’s website.
The ministry said it was getting so many calls from people reporting positive results that it did not have the resources to respond to all the calls, so it developed the reporting tool on the website.
“We just don’t have the resources to handle this type of influx of calls,” said Stephanie Fyffe, director of nursing for the Fairfield County Health Department.
On the health department website, users can scroll to the COVID-19 home test report form. From there, open the form and answer the questions.
In recent months, more and more people have tested positive, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Health. That’s what happened to Peyton Griffith.
“It was probably within two minutes that the positive came through,” he said.
His mother and sister also tested positive.
“I was pretty happy nobody got really sick from it,” Griffith said.
According to Fyffe, the electronic form has many advantages, hoping it will encourage more people to report positive test results. The electronic form will also alleviate some of the burden on staff.
Once a person has self-declared, they receive information on the next steps to take.
“Really what we want to do is make sure they understand what they need to do to take care of themselves and those around them,” Fyffe said. “We need to get this information to them in a timely manner, so by notifying them that they are using this method, it allows us to give them the information they need immediately.”
Columbus Public Health also has a link on its website where test results can be reported.