JACKSON — The Oakland Fire Department in Yalobusha County, located at 13863 Hickory St. in Oakland, will be the setting for drive-thru COVID-19 testing on Tuesday, May 19.
The testing is open to pre-qualifying residents of Yalobusha County and surrounding communities, including Tallahatchie County residents who meet the criteria.
Both prescreening and, if warranted, an appointment are required for testing in Oakland from noon to 4 p.m.
Anyone showing up Tuesday without an appointment will not be tested.
The testing is for anyone who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat. Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) has expanded the guidelines and now recommends testing for anyone with a known or potential exposure to someone confirmed with the virus.
Those who want to be tested must first get an appointment via a free screening from a University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) clinician.
The screening can be accomplished by a telehealth visit via the C Spire Health smartphone app or, for those without smartphones, by calling 601-496-7200.
The C Spire Health app is available for free download on the App Store and Google Play, and users do not have to be a C Spire customer to qualify. Telehealth visits are open daily from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Mississippians who are screened as being at high risk for COVID-19 are given an appointment at a testing site to provide a specimen sample, via a nose swab, without exiting their vehicle.
MSDH and UMMC are conducting the mobile testing around the state.
"Hundreds of people in Mississippi communities have taken advantage of the UMMC/MSDH drive-thru collection sites," noted Marc Randolph, executive director of the UMMC Office of Communications and Marketing. "Those numbers include, as of the end of the day May 14, a total of 2,159 people at 59 one-day testing sites statewide, plus another 4,882 at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds, for a total of 7,041 tested."
Anyone screened and determined to be at low risk for infection will receive instructions on social distancing, home isolation and self-care, and told to call back if symptoms worsen.
For more information about testing, click here.
