Coronavirus tests ‘ramping up’ but still limited in South Mississippi, officials say

Testing for the new coronavirus in Mississippi is still limited, but infectious disease doctor Nicholas Conger of Memorial Hospital at Gulfport said it is “ramping up” as more cases are reported.

Conger told the Harrison County Board of Supervisors by conference call Monday that Memorial has tested 12 to 15 people as of Sunday afternoon, with no positive results.

He said the turnaround time on tests is 48 hours at the state Public Health Laboratory, which Memorial is using.

“The number of people we are testing is ramping up somewhat rapidly,” Conger said.

However, state Health Department guidelines still advise testing limited to those displaying symtoms and other specialized groups.

The CDC website says people who have been in close contact with someone testing positive or those in communities experiencing a spread of the virus should contact their doctors about being tested.

Complaints have been reported nationwide from people who have been unable to get tested, including some who have displayed symptoms. Symptoms can take as long as 14 days to appear.

The state Health Department Monday is reporting 12 total cases of COVID-19, with two of those in South Mississippi — one in Hancock County and another in Pearl River County.

This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 1:23 PM.

Anita Lee

Sun Herald

601-909-0638

Anita, a Mississippi native, graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and previously worked at the Jackson Daily News and Virginian-Pilot, joining the Sun Herald in 1987. She specializes in in-depth coverage of government, public corruption, transparency and courts. She has won state, regional and national journalism awards, most notably contributing to Hurricane Katrina coverage awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Support my work with a digital subscription