Gregg County’s community spread levels of COVID-19 increase 66% since Christmas Eve

Published 4:22 pm Tuesday, December 28, 2021

The Northeast Texas Public Health District released new covid statistics, reflecting data since Christmas Eve.

In Gregg County, 96 new COVID-19 cases were reported — 33 confirmed and 64 probable — in the county as of Tuesday. In addition, all counties in the Northeast Texas Public Health District’s seven-county jurisdiction remain at moderate spread levels of the COVID-19 virus Tuesday.

Gregg County’s active cases have increased over 19% since Thursday, according to public health data released Tuesday.

Active cases in the county increased to 258 since Thursday’s report of 216 total cases, according to statistics released by NET Health.

According to NET Health, probable cases are attributed to patients who have received positive antigen tests, until the individual has been administered a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. If a person’s PCR laboratory result is positive, that becomes a confirmed case.

The county’s seven-day rolling rate of COVID-19 infection increased to 16.71 Tuesday. The rate increased by more than 66%, reported at a minimal community spread level of 10.02 on Thursday. Gregg County has the second-to-lowest community spread level in the public health district’s seven-county jurisdiction.

The moderate community spread window consists of a rate between 10 to 35 and indicates sustained transmission with confirmed exposure within congregate settings and potential for rapid increase in cases. 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.

There have been 19,786 COVID-19 cases in Gregg County since the pandemic began, with 19,786 total recoveries, according to NET Health.

Three Gregg County jail inmates have an active diagnosis of COVID-19 as of Tuesday. There have been no virus-related jail deaths reported this week, according to the district.

In Gregg County, 54.36% of people age 5 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday, while 47.63% of residents 5 and older had been fully vaccinated, according to the state. State data shows 88.13% of people 65 and older had been vaccinated with at least one dose as of Tuesday, while 80.80% of that population had been fully vaccinated. As of Nov. 4, children 5 to 11 years of age are included in vaccination numbers and rates.

On Tuesday, there were 113 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the state’s 19-county Trauma Region G, approximately 19 more than there were on Thursday. Of COVID patients hospitalized, 31 of those are in ICUs and 21 patients are on ventilators. In the first half of September, hospitalizations reached 822, the highest number of single-day COVID-19 hospitalizations in the region since the pandemic began.

Other Counties

Gregg County had 96 new cases — 33 confirmed, 64 probable — reported since Thursday. There are 258 total active cases within the county. There have been 19,243 total recoveries reported.

Henderson County had 48 new cases — 29 confirmed, 19 probable — reported since Thursday. There are 182 total active cases within the county. There have been 9,831 total recoveries reported.

Van Zandt County had 48 new cases — 22 confirmed, 26 probable — reported since Thursday. There are 149 total active cases within the county. There have been 8,196 total recoveries reported.

Anderson County had 30 new cases — four confirmed, 26 probable — reported since Thursday. There are 126 total active cases within the county. There have been 5,596 total recoveries reported.

Wood County had 25 new cases — 18 confirmed, seven probable — reported since Thursday. There are 111 total active cases within the county. There have been 6,615 total recoveries reported.

Rains County had three new cases — one confirmed, two probable — reported since Thursday and there are 12 total active cases within the county. There have been 1,537 total recoveries.

Total recoveries and total active cases include probable and confirmed data. Data gathered in Tuesday’s report represents the past 120 hours, from noon Thursday to noon Tuesday.