Gregg County reaches pandemic-low in community spread levels of COVID-19

Published 4:02 pm Thursday, November 4, 2021

Gregg County has reached a pandemic-low in its community spread levels of COVID-19 and cases continue to trend downward, according to Thursday’s bi-weekly update from the Northeast Texas Public Health District.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Gregg County plummeted 17%, and community spread levels decreased 19%, keeping the county in “minimal” spread, according to the report.

Gregg County’s community spread level decreased to 7.14 Thursday, well in between minimal community spread levels of the virus, which consists of a rate of between zero and 10.

Minimal community spread indicates evidence of isolated cases or limited community transmission, that cases are underway and that there is no evidence of exposure in large, congregate settings.

NET Health reported 33 total new cases of COVID-19 in the county since Monday’s report and a drop in overall active cases in the county. Total active cases in the county fell from 374 on Monday to 310 on Thursday.

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

Community spread levels of the virus on Monday sent Gregg County into minimal spread and Thursday’s report again shows a significant decline in Smith County. About a month ago, the week ending Sept. 23, each of the counties had levels of community spread that were substantial — or 35 or more new cases per week adjusted for population.

According to NET Health, there were 83 East Texans being treated for COVID-19 at Tyler hospitals on Thursday. The last time Smith County saw a similarly low local hospitalization rate was in August. Thursday’s data is 78% lower than the high hospitalization rate of 389, which was reached just two months ago in Tyler.

On Thursday, there were 161 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the state’s 19-county Trauma Region G, approximately 27 fewer than there were on Monday. Of COVID patients hospitalized, 79 of those are in ICUs and 62 patients are on ventilators. In early September, hospitalizations reached 822, the highest number of single-day COVID-19 hospitalizations in the region since the pandemic began.

In Gregg County, 51.34% of people 12 and older were fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 on Thursday, according to the state. On Thursday, 79.56% of Gregg County residents 65 and older had been fully vaccinated.