Nearly three quarters of all confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Ohio . Ohio National Guard personnel have been helping with testing in long term care facilities, but the funding for them to continue that and other pandemic related missions runs out in a month.
Guard personnel have been assisting with testing atin communities of color and other high-risk areas, and testing of staff and residents .
But Gov. Mike DeWine said when the federal funding for the Guard to continue those missions , testing in long term care facilities will continue.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to work it out so the testing鈥檚 going to be done in those nursing homes on a regular basis. So we鈥檙e going to free the guard up then, because, frankly, there's a lot of other places that the guard needs to go as well. So they're very much wanted," DeWine said.
DeWine said he hopes the federal funding for the Guard continues, but if it doesn鈥檛, he says 鈥� 鈥渨e鈥檒l have to talk about it鈥�.
500 Guard members have also been helping at the state鈥檚 overloaded foodbanks since March, which was their first pandemic related assignment.
Ohio Association of Food Banks executive director Lisa Hamler-Fugitt said from Adjutant General Major General John Harris Jr. the last week of June notifying her that federal funding for the Guard's pandemic-related missions will run out on August 7.
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