Gregg County’s COVID-19 cases in December more than three times those in November

Published 6:00 pm Thursday, December 30, 2021

New COVID-19 cases in Gregg County reported in December are over three times more than the cases the county saw in all of November, according to data released Thursday by the Northeast Public Health District.

So far this month, Gregg County has seen 435 new cases of COVID-19 compared to 121 total cases reported in November.

Since Tuesday, 98 new COVID-19 cases were reported — 28 confirmed and 70 probable — in the county as of Thursday.

Gregg County’s active cases have increased nearly 28% since Tuesday, NET Health data show — from 258 to 330.

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.

Gregg County is among other areas of East Texas seeing a surge, as community transmission levels are rising across NET Health’s seven-county jurisdiction. As of Thursday, Gregg County’s community spread level is at 22.36, the third-highest in the district.

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.

Smith County leads the way with the highest rate of 38.66, at a level considered substantial and one it hasn’t seen since mid-October. A substantial rate means cities across Smith County are experiencing large-scale, uncontrolled community transmission of the virus in congregate settings, such as grocery stores, schools, workplaces, nursing homes and daycares. Smith County’

There have been 19,884 COVID-19 cases in Gregg County since the pandemic began, with 19,269 total recoveries, according to NET Health.

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

In Gregg County, 54.50% of people age 5 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday, while 47.74% of residents 5 and older had been fully vaccinated, according to the state. State data shows 88.20% of people 65 and older had been vaccinated with at least one dose as of Thursday, while 80.83% 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 Thursday, there were 154 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the state’s 19-county Trauma Region G, approximately 41 more than there were on Tuesday. Of COVID patients hospitalized, 45 of those are in ICUs and 33 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 area counties

Smith County had 290 new cases — 134 confirmed, 156 probable — reported since Tuesday. There are 1,069 total active cases within the county. There have been 37,111 total recoveries reported.

Henderson County had 38 new cases — 20 confirmed, 18 probable — reported since Tuesday. There are 195 total active cases within the county. There have been 9,852 total recoveries reported.

Van Zandt County had 41 new cases — nine confirmed, 32 probable — reported since Tuesday. There are 171 total active cases within the county. There have been 8,215 total recoveries reported.

Anderson County had 52 new cases — six confirmed, 46 probable — reported since Tuesday. There are 169 total active cases within the county. There have been 5,605 total recoveries reported.

Wood County had 22 new cases — 10 confirmed, 12 probable — reported since Tuesday. There are 119 total active cases within the county. There have been 6,628 total recoveries reported.

Rains County had nine new cases — three confirmed, six probable — reported since Tuesday and there are 17 total active cases within the county. There have been 1,541 total recoveries.

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