COVID test demand ‘shot through the roof’ at Coast hospital. Here’s where to get one.

The testing lab at one of the Mississippi Coast’s largest health systems is working in overdrive as COVID-19 cases hit their highest counts of the entire pandemic.

Administrators at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport said significantly higher demands for coronavirus tests this month has testing numbers already surpassing the health system’s winter peak and are well beyond recent months’ averages.

On Friday, Mississippi recorded its largest-ever one-day COVID case count — the 5,048 positives topped a weeks-long trend of record-shattering numbers.

“The numbers are tremendous, but we will do what we have to do because that’s what’s necessary,” said Beth White, director of laboratory services at Memorial.

So far in August, Memorial has completed 10,800 COVID tests. A hospital spokesperson said in July they had 6,279 tests while in April through June, they only ran around 3,500 tests each.

Memorial has labs at its Gulfport and Stone County hospitals as well as all their clinics. Lab testing numbers are up “regardless of location,” White said.

“It shot up dramatically right towards the end of July. Across the organization at all the various locations we’re probably doing close to a thousand a day during the weekday,” she said.

“I would bet in the months of May and June we may have not done a thousand a month, but we certainly wouldn’t have done a thousand in a week… It’s really shot through the roof.”

During a press conference this week, State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said the state has seen increased testing demand, but has not heard of any laboratory delays longer than the maximum 48-hour turnaround time.

“When we start seeing an increase in cases, we know that the demand of testing certainly increases as well.”

The largest number of testing throughout Memorial’s health system is done at their drive-thru testing locations in Gulfport and D’Iberville. There, patients can get results on-site after rapid tests.

Long wait times

But wait times are extensive because of the high demands.

The Sun Herald arrived at Memorial Hospital’s Gulfport drive-thru test site on at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, after the location opened at 8 a.m. Lengthy lines early in the morning made it so waiting for a test took over an hour.

Lines of cars then stood by for their results as nurse practitioners spoke individually to each patient about their diagnosis.

If positive, the nurse reviews steps of care and additional treatment with the patient. If negative, the nurse may order a confirmation test, which would be sent to Memorial’s labs. Memorial performs PCR testing in their lab, in addition to another molecular test.

The Sun Herald finally left the location around 10:45 a.m. — the process took nearly three hours.

“We’ve had a couple of days this week where those drive-up locations have tested 800 people. The rest of it is done here in the laboratory... for our emergency department,” said White.

Wait times for non-rapid test results may take a bit longer than usual because of the increased testing demands, White said. But she and her team have been working additional hours to keep up with the high volume.

“There are more tests that might be going to a (different) lab, in which case would take a little longer than if we could do the tests ourselves. So in some cases, it may take a little longer to get some,” she said.

“People are working long hours, people are just doing everything they can do... no different from any other section of health care right now. We’ve all got our sleeves rolled up.”

Supply of rapid tests

White said the biggest challenge for her lab currently is keeping up with supplies like testing materials.

“It has become quite a challenge, it’s probably been our biggest frustration,” she said.

“We would like to do more testing on-site but COVID testing, there are issues with getting supplies because the testing materials we use are literally in demand across the world”

Byers, during this week’s press conference, acknowledged the need for rapid tests around the state but said a possible shortagehasn’t accounted for a decrease in new case numbers.

“We have heard from some facilities regarding some difficulty with the [rapid tests]. We are working to be able to provide rapid tests to clinics and other facilities as we can,” Byers said.

“I don’t think we’re seeing a significant depression in the actual case counts due to lack of availability in testing. If we’ve seen anything, our test numbers have continued to increase.”

Memorial Hospital COVID-19 testing locations:

Memorial Hospital is currently offering COVID rapid testing, which provides results in minutes. Memorial also offers COVID tests at their clinics.

D’Iberville

• D’Iberville drive-thru testing: 10395 Auto Mall Pkwy, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. , 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Closed Sunday, Aug. 22.

Gulfport

• Memorial Physician Clinics drive-thru testing: 1213 Broad Ave., Gulfport, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Singing River COVID-19 testing locations:

All Singing River Medical Clinic Locations offer PCR testing, but rapid resting is only available at Cedar Lake, Hurley, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula and Vancleave.

• Singing River Medical Clinic – Hurley
• Singing River Medical Clinic – Ocean Springs
• Singing River Medical Clinic – Pascagoula

Singing River is also offering drive-thru testing at two locations.

Gulfport

Singing River Mobile Care Clinic drive-thru testing: 15200 Community Rd., Gulfport, Monday-Friday, 1:00 p.m.-5 p.m.

Ocean Springs

Next to ABC Rental drive-thru testing: 3401 Bienville Blvd., Ocean Springs, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mississippi State Department of Health COVID-19 testing locations:

All County Health Departments offer COVID tests. In South Mississippi this includes:

Hancock County Health Department: 856 Highway 90, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520-8602, Open: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, Phone: 228-467-4510

Harrison County Health Department: 1102 45th Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501, Open: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, Phone: 228-863-1036

Jackson County Health Department: 4600 Lt. Eugene J. Majure Drive, Pascagoula, MS 39581, Open: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Phone: 228-762-1117

Local pharmacies and clinics that offer COVID tests are listed on the MSDH website.

Pharmacy COVID-19 testing locations:

Walgreens offers self-administered COVID tests in its drive-thrus, only by appointment: https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/covid19/testing

Rapid testing locations:

• 2601 HIGHWAY 90, Gautier, MS 39553
• 1505 HIGHWAY 43 S, Picayune, MS 39466
• 2209 HIGHWAY 11 N, Picayune, MS 39466

PCR tests:

• 11279 HIGHWAY 49, Gulfport, MS 39503
• 1417 E PASS RD, Gulfport, MS 39507
• 2405 PASS RD, Biloxi, MS 39531
• 12007 LAMEY BRIDGE RD, Diberville, MS 39540
• 348 HIGHWAY 90, Waveland, MS 39576
• 3082 BIENVILLE BOULEVARD, Ocean Springs, MS 39564
• 3800 MARKET ST, Pascagoula, MS 39567

Walmart and Sams Club

At-home COVID-19 Antigen Screening Self Tests and self-administered PCR mail-in tests are now available in store and on Walmart.com and SamsClub.com.

Appointment-only COVID tests are available at some Walmart locations. Make an appointment here: https://patient.questdiagnostics.com/no-cost-covid-test

• 11333 Highway 49, Gulfport, MS, 39503
• 1733 East Pass Road, Gulfport, MS, 39507
• 2050 Pass Road, Biloxi, MS, 39531
• 1820-A Popps Ferry Road, Biloxi, MS, 39532
• 6412 Washington Avenue, Ocean Springs, MS, 39564

This article is supported by the Journalism and Public Information Fund, a fund of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 12:00 AM.

Isabella Murray

Sun Herald

847-338-3595