Mississippi Edition

The latest from the State Health Department, including new testing centers.

Then, we talk to medical professionals about the do's and don'ts on the coronavirus.

Plus, how places of worship are adapting to social distancing.

Segment 1:

This Mississippi Department of Health is introducing a new triage system in an effort to more efficiently test for and identify cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is also establishing a testing center at the Fairgrounds in Jackson as a part of this ramped up testing effort. Doctor Alan Jones is the Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UMMC. He explains how the new triage process works.

Segment 2:

With number of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi expected to grow, health professionals are making efforts to inform communities of the risks associated with coronavirus transmission. Hand hygiene, social distancing, efficient testing measures - are hot topics in the fight against COVID-19. Our Desare Frazier joins Dr. Christian Weaver, Staff Physician in Infectious Diseases at the VA and Southern Remedy's own Dr. Morgan McLeod, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at UMMC to discuss it all.

Segment 3:

Churches in Mississippi, along with countless others across the country, are suspending Sunday morning worship services in response to the coronavirus. Some, like Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison, are utilizing already-existing technologies, like live-streams to continue reaching its 4,000 member congregation. Pepper Carter is the Communications and Events Minister at Broadmoor. She tells MPB's Ashley Norwood that although the church has been streaming services for years, the overall Sunday experience is still different for most. 

Jerry Young is pastor over the 3,000 member congregation at New Hope Baptist Church in Jackson. He admits there are some challenges transitioning Sunday morning worship services online. But, he tells our Ashley Norwoood, it would be irresponsible for the church to ignore experts and their guidelines.