COVID-19 continues to spread in Lincoln County, according to data published by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

Confirmed cases state-wide have risen by 827 people in five days. As of 6 p.m. Monday, 111 people have died in the state. In Lincoln County, there are 56 total confirmed cases and four deaths. Since April 8, an additional 24 cases have been confirmed in the county and two people have died. MSDH reports outbreaks in two separate long-term care facilities, but are not publishing the names of those facilities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that community transmission — cases where the disease has been transmitted and the source is unknown — is now widespread throughout Mississippi.

King’s Daughters Medical Center is continuing to provide mobile screening. KDMC asks anyone showing symptoms to call 601-835-9455 before visiting. The screening site is open behind the Emergency Room — accessible by following the signs on Brookman drive — from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. seven days a week. KDMC has administered 417 tests so far. They are seeing a three to eight day turnaround for test results.

In addition to the state-wide stay-at-home order, Gov. Tate Reeves has issued several new executive orders in recent days. Non-essential surgeries throughout the state have been postponed until at least April 27. Shareholder meetings have been moved online. In Executive Order 1471, Reeves said that healthcare workers and facilities shall — with some exceptions — be immune from civil liabilities for injury or death due to their acts or omissions.

The MSDH has also been granted the authority to bypass certain legal requirements that could limit the available healthcare workforce during the outbreak.

KDMC said rural hospitals are bracing for the impact of the outbreak on their facilities. To preserve personal protection equipment, KDMC said in a Facebook post that they are implementing internal “telemedicine” — a teleconference for doctors and their patients — for COVID-19 patients.

“Utilizing telemedicine in this manner allows KDMC to conserve personal protection equipment (PPE) while greatly reducing exposure and cross contamination,” the post stated.