First confirmed case involving Warren County resident reported, test event coming Tuesday

Published 10:06 am Sunday, March 29, 2020

Sunday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 95 new cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, including the first confirmed positive test involving a Warren County resident.

The state total now stands at 758, with 14 deaths confirmed.

The first case involving a Warren County resident comes just two days after officials confirmed that a patient at KPC Promise Hospital in Vicksburg had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. But, that individual is a resident of Rankin County and is included in that county’s confirmed case figures.

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MSDH reports cases based on a patient’s physical address, as opposed to the county of the facility that conducted the test.

More details about the first case of a Warren County resident, and the patient at KCP Promise Hospital, are expected at a press conference Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Vicksburg Convention Center. That press conference will be broadcast live on The Post’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thevicksburgpost.

Medical officials have stressed the importance of social distancing and restricting the size of gatherings, given the almost certainty that there are those who have the virus within Warren County who have simply either not shown any symptoms or have not been tested.

Saturday, it was announced a one-day test event, coordinated by University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Mississippi State Department of Health, will be held Tuesday in the parking lot of the Pemberton Mall.

The free, drive-through test site will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the mall’s parking lot. Those individuals experiencing symptoms related to the COVID-19 virus and wanting to be tested must call 601-496-7200 for an appointment.

According to an article on WJTV, “residents that live in and around those areas who believe they need to be screened can do so now by using the C Spire Health app, or for those that don’t have a smartphone, [use] the phone number listed above. Those meeting high-risk criteria will be given an appointment at the mobile collection site closest to them.”

During the screening, a medical provider will determine the patient’s level of risk for having COVID-19 based on their symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat, WJTV’s report said. Anyone found to be high-risk for having coronavirus will receive an appointment to be tested at a collection site closest to them.

The guidelines for testing remain the same. Those who are showing symptoms of COVID-19 — a fever of 100.4 or higher, upper respiratory issues like coughing, wheezing and/or shortness of breath, if a patient has been directly exposed to someone who has tested positive, traveled, been out the country or visited one of the areas defined by the Centers for Disease Control as an area of concern — and those who have gone through an initial screening will be tested. Instead of going to the hospital, those who feel they have symptoms should contact their healthcare provider first.

About Tim Reeves

Tim Reeves, and his wife Stephanie, are the parents of three children, Sarah Cameron, Clayton and Fin, who all attend school in the Vicksburg Warren School District. The family are members of First Baptist Church Vicksburg. Tim is involved in a number of civic and volunteer organizations including the United Way of West Central Mississippi and serves on the City of Vicksburg's Riverfront Redevelopment Committee.

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