First confirmed case of Coronavirus in Panola County verified

Published 11:12 am Thursday, March 19, 2020

Daniel Cole talks with officials from the Mississippi State Department of Health at the Batesville Courthouse Thursday morning,

 

Panola  County Emergency Operations Director Daniel Cole confirmed to The Panolian at 9:10 a.m. that he has been informed by the Mississippi State Department of Health of the first positive case of Coronavirus in the county.

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“I can only say that we have been told by authorities that we have a positive case of Coronavirus,” Cole said. “We have no other information at this point. Panola County has not yet been told the identification of the patient or what part of the county they reside, nor will we.”

Cole said Panola Medical Center did not administer the test.  The patient is a Panola County resident, but was tested at another facility outside the county.

“People can be tested at Panola Medical Center and that process is working well. We just want to remind the public to call the hospital before they arrive to adhere with the guidelines we have established during this process,” said Chris Ware, the hospital’s COO.

More details will be released as they become available