Smith County’s number of total new COVID-19 cases decreased by nearly 77% within a month, according to Monday’s report from the Northeast Texas Public Health District.

Throughout October, there were 1,913 new COVID-19 cases reported within the county compared to September, in which new cases totaled 8,351.

Since Thursday’s report, active cases in Smith County dropped by more than 9% to 742. Additionally, community spread levels of COVID-19 have dropped nearly 9% since Thursday. The county’s community spread remains at the lowest level of “moderate” the county has seen, at 10.86.

Moderate community spread indicates sustained transmission with confirmed exposure within congregate settings and potential for a rapid increase in cases and occurs when the county sees 10 to 35 new cases per day for seven consecutive days.

As of Monday, three of the seven counties covered by NET Health are seeing moderate community spread of the virus. Van Zandt’s community spread levels of the virus jumped Monday from minimal to moderate spread, while Rains County joined Henderson, Anderson and Gregg counties in minimal spread.

Minimal community spread occurs when there’s evidence of isolated cases or limited community transmission, case investigations underway and there is no evidence of exposure in large congregate settings and when the county sees zero to 10 new cases of the virus for seven consecutive days.

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.

Smith County saw 85 new total cases Monday, with 26 new confirmed cases and 59 new probable cases. There are now 742 total active cases within the county, as opposed to the 818 total active cases reported Thursday in Smith County.

According to NET Health, there were 84 East Texans being treated for COVID-19 at Tyler hospitals on Monday, one more than reported Thursday. Monday’s data is 78% lower than the high hospitalization rate of 389, which was reached just two months ago in Tyler.

No Smith County jail inmates had an active diagnosis of COVID-19, according to NET Health. One inmate has died due to COVID-19.

Data gathered in Monday’s report represents the past 96 hours, from noon Thursday to noon Monday.

On Monday, there were 143 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the state’s 19-county Trauma Region G, approximately 18 fewer than there were on Thursday. Of COVID patients hospitalized, 65 of those are in ICUs and 53 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 Smith County, 51.09% of people 5 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 45.14% of people 5 and older had been fully vaccinated, according to the state.

State data shows 83.56% of people 65 and older in the county had been vaccinated with at least one dose on Thursday, while 77.12% of that population had been fully vaccinated.

Other Counties

Gregg County had 139 confirmed active cases and 126 probable active cases Monday. Confirmed recoveries were at 8,837, while there were 9,966 probable recoveries, according to NET Health.

Henderson County had 115 confirmed active cases and 71 probable active cases, NET Health said. Confirmed recoveries were at 6,172, and there were 3,304 probable recoveries in the county, NET Health said.

Van Zandt County had 111 confirmed active cases and 91 probable active cases, NET Health said. Confirmed recoveries were at 4,535, and 3,288 people had likely recovered in Van Zandt County, NET Health reported.

Anderson County had 60 confirmed active cases and 77 probable active cases, NET Health said. Confirmed recoveries were at 2,493, and probable recoveries were at 2,887, the health district reported.

Wood County had 83 confirmed active cases and 74 probable active cases, NET Health said. Confirmed recoveries in Wood County were at 3,396 with 2,886 probable recoveries, NET Health said.

Rains County had 12 confirmed active and 11 probable active diagnoses, NET Health said. Confirmed recoveries were at 717 with 766 probable recoveries, according to NET Health.