Data: More cases reported this month in Gregg County than past 3 months combined

Published 7:30 pm Thursday, January 13, 2022

So far in January, there have been more new COVID-19 cases reported in 13 days in Gregg County than all the new cases reported in the three most recent months combined.

As of Thursday, Gregg County has seen 1,969 new cases since Jan. 1, according to the Northeast Public Health District. In October, November and December combined, data show 1,279 new cases reported during that time period.

The rise in cases is part of a surge happening across East Texas, as all seven-county’s in NET Health’s jurisdiction remain in “substantial” community transmission levels of the virus. A substantial rate means cities across each county are experiencing large-scale, uncontrolled community transmission of the virus in places such as grocery stores, schools, churches, workplaces, nursing homes, daycares and other congregate settings.

Additionally, active cases in the county have increased by 34% since Monday. In Thursday’s report, NET Health showed Gregg County’s total active cases were at 2,243.

Also on Thursday, Gregg County saw 589 new cases — 252 confirmed, 337 probable — reported since Monday. NET Health defines probable cases as those which 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 infections decreased by more than 7% since Monday, according to NET Health. The county’s community transmission level remained “substantial” at 120.32 compared to 130.35 on Thursday.

The county’s rate of new infections remains the second-highest in NET Health’s seven-county jurisdiction, behind only Smith County’s rate of 129.19.

Seven-day rolling rates of infection at 35 or more cases are considered substantial, compared to moderate at 10 to 35 and minimal at zero to 10. According to NET Health, the rate calculates the average number of all COVID-positive cases from the previous seven days. That number is divided by the population of the county and multiplied by 100,000.

On Monday, the line for drive-thru COVID-19 testing at Christus Good Shepherd’s NorthPark facility in Longview stretched onto Hawkins Parkway. Last week, Gregg County Health Authority Dr. Lewis Browne said half of the people who have presented in the county for testing and receiving a positive result.

He also said the demand for COVID-19 tests has been stressing local emergency rooms.

On Thursday, NET Health reported there were 195 East Texans being treated for COVID-19 at Tyler hospitals. The county’s hospitalization rates now trend similar to data last seen in late October.

The number of COVID-19 patients in the state’s 19-county Trauma Region G continues to increase. On Thursday, there were 308 patients hospitalized in the region. The hospitalization number includes 78 patients in intensive-care units and 58 patients 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. Similar trends were last seen late October.

As of Thursday in Gregg County, 55.28% of people age 5 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 48.23% of people age 5 and older had been fully vaccinated, according to the state. State data shows 88.60% of people 65 and older in the county had been vaccinated with at least one dose on Thursday, while 81.02% 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.

NET Health on Thursday reported no active cases of COVID-19 in the Gregg County Jail. In Smith County, 43 jail inmates had an active diagnosis of COVID-19 and the Smith County Jail last week announced it suspended visitation due to the recent uptick in cases.

From Dec. 1 to Dec. 30, there were 435 total new cases reported in Gregg County. In November, just 121 new cases were reported compared to October and September in which more than 723 and 4,099 new cases were reported each month, respectively.

There have been 21,853 total COVID-19 cases in Gregg County since the pandemic began and 19,325 total recoveries, according to NET Health.