COVID-19 coverage graphic

As Gregg County COVID-19 cases went up 24 on Monday, state health officials reported another virus-related death in Upshur County and the first one in Morris County.

Meanwhile Gregg County’s neighbor to the west, Smith County, saw 83 new diagnoses over the weekend. 

Gregg County Health Administrator A.J. Harris said the county’s cumulative total is now 1,287.

He said recoveries remained at 240 on Monday, while the county’s death toll stood at 17.

Harris said 5,385 total tests had been administered in the county as of Monday, with 3,893 negative results and 205 pending results.

Upshur County saw three new cases for a new cumulative total of 164 on Monday, and the new death raised its toll to two, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported.

The state health department on Monday also reported the first COVID-19 death for Morris County to the north. The county’s cumulative case total remained at 79.

Smith County’s new cases raised its cumulative total to 2,189, the Northeast Texas Public Health District announced Monday.

NET Health said the county has 1,663 active cases. It has had 512 recoveries and 14 deaths.

The number of East Texas patients with COVID-19 in Tyler hospitals rose by 19 over the weekend for a daily high of 158.

Harrison County Judge Chad Sims on Monday said his county has six new cases for a cumulative total of 578. He also said the county had two new recoveries, bringing that total to 366. Deaths remained at 33.

Sims said the county has so far averaged nine new cases per day in July, compared with two per day in June. He said he celebrates any time the new case count is below nine.

“That means that our rate of increase is beginning to slow,” Sims said. “Let’s all continue to do our part to slow the spread, get the numbers on the decline and get our lives back to normal.”

Wood County jumped by 20 for 261 total cases, which includes 126 recoveries and six deaths. 

The total of reported cases of COVID-19 by Monday evening in Northeast Texas was at least 12,885, up from 12,399 on Sunday. Across the region, 273 total deaths had been reported Monday, an increase of seven from Sunday. Here’s a look at totals by county Monday and changes from Sunday:

Anderson: 411 (+16), 2 deaths

Angelina: 1,487 (+82), 14 deaths

Bowie: 574 (+17), 35 deaths

Camp: 189 (+5), 4 deaths (+2)

Cass: 136 (+31), 4 deaths

Cherokee: 655 (+8), 4 deaths (+2)

Delta: 12

Franklin: 78, 1 death

Gregg: 1,287 (+24), 17 deaths

Harrison: 578 (+6), 33 deaths (-1)

Henderson: 518 (+18), 7 deaths

Hopkins: 154, 2 deaths

Lamar: 577 (+40), 15 deaths

Marion: 117, 8 deaths

Morris: 79, 1 death (+1)

Nacogdoches: 882 (+7), 37 deaths

Panola: 276 (+9), 25 deaths

Red River: 131, 12 deaths

Rusk: 246, 3 deaths

Shelby: 351 (+1), 17 deaths (+3)

Smith: 2,189 (+83), 14 deaths

Titus: 1,224 (+104), 7 deaths

Upshur: 164 (+3), 2 deaths (+1)

Van Zandt: 309 (+12), 4 deaths

Wood: 261 (+20), 6 deaths

Totals: 12,885 and 273 deaths

Sources: Texas Department of State Health Services, Northeast Texas Public Health District, local officials

Free drive-thru COVID-19 testing will continue today in Longview. It is scheduled 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and will take place for several weeks. 

A person does not need to have symptoms to be tested, but they should bring a form of identification and have a phone number or email address for their results to be delivered.

To participate, go to the Longview Convention Complex at 100 Grand Blvd., off Cotton Street, and follow the signs to the testing area.

A private vendor, Honu, will conduct the testing on behalf of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, city of Longview and Gregg County Emergency Management.

Registration will be available online or in person. To register online, go to tinyurl.com/LvwTesting . 

Test results should be available 24 to 48 hours after testing, the city of Longview said.