Lowndes County residents who complete a health screening with a University of Mississippi Medical Center clinician over the next two days will have a chance to be tested for COVID-19 coronavirus at a state-sponsored drive-thru testing site at Fairview Baptist Church on Saturday.
UMMC and Mississippi State Department of Health will host testing at the church at 127 Airline Drive from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., but officials stress that the site is by appointment only. Anyone who arrives without an appointment will not be tested.
Those with symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, shortness of breath, coughing or sore throat can make an appointment with a clinician through the C Spire Health telehealth smartphone app or by calling 601-496-7200. If a clinician determines they are at risk for the virus, they will be given an appointment time. While residents can make appointments the day of, a UMMC spokesperson stressed they do it as soon as possible.
Testing is completely free to residents.
UMMC and MSDH have set up testing sites all over the state and tested more than 3,000 people, according to a UMMC press release. Individual testing sites can test up to about 100 people, but the spokesperson said typically fewer than 100 make appointments.
MSDH has confirmed 5,153 cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi as of Thursday morning, according to the department’s website, and 201 people have died from the virus. There have been four deaths in Oktibbeha County, two deaths in Clay County and one death in Lowndes County.
There are 45 confirmed cases in Oktibbeha County, 36 in Lowndes County, 28 in Clay County and 29 in Noxubee County.
Nationwide, there are more than 855,000 confirmed cases and more than 47,500 deaths.
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