Spread of COVID-19 in Gregg County down 75% since early September

Published 9:15 pm Thursday, September 30, 2021

The rate of COVID-19 spread in Gregg County has dropped 75% since the first week of September but remains classified as “substantial.”

The Northeast Texas Public Health District reported Thursday that Gregg County’s seven-day rolling rate of infection was 35.61. That’s compared to a rate of 142.92 the week of Sept. 3 through 9.

The level of community spread is determined by taking the average number of all COVID-19 positive cases from the previous seven days. That number is then divided by the population of the county and multiplied by 100,000. A county reaches “substantial” community spread when its seven-day rolling rate is at or more than 35 cases. Substantial community spread represents “large-scale, uncontrolled community transmission,” according to the health district.

Also Thursday, 120 total new COVID-19 cases were reported in Gregg County. NET Health’s twice-weekly report showed 76 new confirmed cases along with 44 probable cases. Total active cases within the county are at 4,017.

Recoveries in Gregg County increased from 14,255 on Thursday to 14,339 Monday.

Data in Thursday’s report represents the past 72 hours, from noon Monday to noon Thursday.

In Thursday’s report, the spread level in Henderson and Anderson counties, which also are covered by NET Health, fell from “substantial” to “moderate,” with Henderson at 29.69 and Anderson at 24.73. Moderate spread levels indicate a sustained transmission with confirmed exposure within congregate settings and potential for rapid increase in cases. This occurs when the county sees from 10 to 35 new cases per day for seven days.

According to NET Health, 256 East Texans were being treated for COVID-19 at Tyler hospitals Thursday, which is about 34% lower than the high of 389, which was set just after Labor Day weekend.

On Thursday, 601 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in the state’s 19-county Trauma Region G, approximately 28 fewer than Monday. Of those hospitalized, 241 are in ICUs and 206 on ventilators. Earlier this month, hospitalizations reached 822, the highest number of single-day COVID-19 hospitalizations in the region since the pandemic began.

In Gregg County as of Thursday, 56.23% of people 12 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 48.31% of residents 12 and older had been fully vaccinated, according to the state.

State data shows 87.47% of Texas residents 65 and older had been vaccinated with at least one dose as of Thursday, while 79% had been fully vaccinated.