Coroners in four South Mississippi counties say they have tried but failed to acquire COVID-19 test kits from the state. One of those coroners, Jim Faulk, believes he might have handled four novel coronavirus cases that have not been counted for Hancock County as deaths caused by the virus.
When residents die at home instead of a hospital, coroners handle those cases with no way to test the dead.
“The living are more important than the dead. But the dead’s families need to know and we also need to know for our own health.”
“As long as the world is craving more kits, I think we’ll be thought of last, probably.”
The Mississippi State Department of Health’s Vital Records office, which manages birth and death certificates, has told coroners to label deaths as suspected COVID-19 cases where symptoms line up with the virus, including difficulty breathing and fever.
Faulk believes his county’s novel coronavirus death count is low because of the lack of testing on coroners’ cases.
Pearl River County Coroner Derek Turnage said that early on in the pandemic, he also handled a couple of suspicious cases but was unable to get tests. He said one man died of complications from pneumonia a month or more ago.
Turnage said he tried to get tests from the Health Department and the Medical Examiner’s Office but was unsuccessful.
The MSDH had recorded eight deaths in Pearl River County and five in Hancock County from COVID-19 as of 6 p.m. Monday. A total of 3,087 cases had been reported statewide, with 111 deaths.
But the lack of testing for home deaths calls into question the accuracy of those numbers. MSDH Communications Director Liz Sharlot said most of the recorded COVID-19 deaths have been reported by hospitals and nursing homes.
“If coroners suspect COVID-19, they are encouraged to test and should report to MSDH,” Sharlot said.
The four coroners interviewed were unanimous in saying they are unable to acquire tests from the state.
The four deaths where Faulk suspected COVID-19 had all occurred by April 5. The MSDH was reporting only two Hancock County deaths as of April 8. The number inched up to five on April 10.
The county has had at least two nursing home deaths that were verified through testing as caused by the coronavirus, Faulk said.
He said the toughest part is talking to families who want to know if their loved ones died from the coronavirus and whether they are at risk. No testing also means no contact tracing and notification of others who might have been exposed to the virus.
“It’s like finding a needle in a haystack,” Faulk said, “but it’s worse because there’s no needle there.”
Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said he tried to get tests after the State Medical Examiner’s Office recently notified coroners that it would not be supplying the kits.
Switzer said his concern also is for family members who would want to know if they have been exposed to the virus. So far, he hasn’t had any suspicious home deaths in Harrison County.
When he was unable to get any tests from the state, he turned to Harrison County Emergency Management Director Rupert Lacy.
Lacy agreed to order some.
“I tried,” Lacy said Tuesday, “but we haven’t gotten any out of the state. They’re all going to tier one medical facilities.”
Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. said the five COVID-19 deaths recorded for his county have been at a hospital and were confirmed through testing. He hasn’t noticed any suspicious home deaths.
Still, he wants to be prepared.
Unable to find tests, he turned to Singing River Health System’s laboratory, where he was told they would try to help if needed.
He said the laboratory employee told him, “Please only come to me as a last resort so I can hold onto these.”
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