DESOTO COUNTY, Miss —
The number of cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi has reached nearly 500 and DeSoto County ranks first in the state with 49 cases.
Friday, the University of Mississippi Medical Center is teaming up with the Mississippi Department of Health to offer testing for coronavirus in DeSoto County.
“It’s very important for us to test high-risk patients, because we have limited testing supplies and we need to focus our efforts on those high risk patients,” said Jonathan Wilson, UMMC Chief Administrative Officer.
Crews began setting up the mobile testing site behind Lewisburg High School Thursday.
“It’s a virtual triage, and we are using the CDC guidelines for COVID-19 if shortness of breath, cough, and fever are the main symptoms we are looking for,” Wilson explained.
Organizers want this to be an easy process, where the patient doesn’t even have to leave his or her vehicle. You can drive up, get swabbed, and the entire process takes just a few minutes.
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“Mississippi National Guard and Mississippi State Department of Health will be coordinating the collection,” Wilson said. “The medical center will also have some discharge information and follow up information for how your results will be communicated back to you.”
In order to get tested for COVID-19, you must first be screened by a UMMC clinician to see if the test is needed. To book a screening, click here, access the C-Spire Health UMMC Virtual Triage Smartphone App, or call 601-496-7200.
