City of Meridian sets guidelines as Lauderdale County reports 3 COVID-19 cases

Published 6:11 pm Thursday, March 26, 2020

A patient who tested positive for COVID-19 had been discharged from a Meridian hospital and a second hospital announced it was treating a patient with the illness, as the city prepared for additional measures intended to slow the spread of the virus Thursday. 

Rush Foundation Hospital confirmed its first positive case of COVID-19 Thursday afternoon and said it could not provide any additional information about the patient due to federal healthcare privacy laws.

“We have been anticipating this moment for several weeks and want to again stress how important it is that our community follows the guidelines from our medical professionals and the CDC,” said Fred Duggan, Chief Medical Officer for Rush Health Systems in a statement.

Anderson Regional Medical Center confirmed Wednesday it had hospitalized a patient who tested positive with the COVID-19 virus.

By Thursday afternoon, the patient had been discharged and ordered to quarantine at home for 14 days, the hospital said. Information on the patient’s age, gender, place of residence, potential underlying health conditions or where the patient may have come in contact with COVID-19 was not available. 

An Anderson representative said the information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the patient did not give consent to release any personal information.

Anderson was not hospitalizing any confirmed positive COVID-19 patients as of 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, the hospital said. 

The city of Meridian is expected to close non-essential businesses for two weeks, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. 

Among those considered non-essential in an executive order signed Tuesday by Mayor Percy Bland are: theaters, gyms and recreation centers, museums, bowling alleys and skating rinks, and sporting and concert venues.  

“Businesses not listed as essential shall close on March 27, 2020 for 14 days unless they comply with CDC and MSDH guidelines and not be open to the general public other than by curbside to go, drive through, telework from home, or similar means where spread of the COVID-19 virus can be minimized and prevented,” the order states. 

A nightly curfew, beginning at 9 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m. remains in effect, with exceptions for people driving to and from work, to pharmacies or seeking medical attention. 

County leaders plan to meet Friday morning to go over procedures for county buildings and staff. 

The Mississippi State Department of Health confirmed 108 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, including the first three cases in Lauderdale County.

The state’s total number of cases is 485.

Six people have died since the outbreak began, according a health department update Thursday morning.

Expanded testing statewide is identifying more cases of COVID-19, the agency said.

The latest death reported was of a Rankin County man in his early 80s with underlying conditions, according to the health department. He died while hospitalized.

The state previously reported the deaths of three men in their 60s, from Hancock, Holmes and Webster Counties, and a man 85-90 years old from Wilkinson County. All of the patients had underlying health conditions, officials said.

MSDH said Wednesday that a Tunica County woman, 75-80 years old, died in a long-term care facility.

Illnesses that began on March 18 or later may not yet be reported, according to MSDH.

The agency said it has tested 2,776 and is able to process approximately 185 samples in an eight-hour shift.