Smith County data: New COVID cases in January trend toward highs last seen in fall 2021

Published 6:30 pm Thursday, January 13, 2022

Smith County’s number of new COVID-19 cases in January continues to steadily climb toward highs last seen in fall 2021.

From Jan. 1 to Thursday, Smith County has seen 3,979 new cases of COVID. Comparatively, there were 1,382 new cases reported in all of December and 504 new cases throughout the month of November, according to data from the Northeast Public Health District. The last pandemic high was reported in September when the county saw a total of 8,351 new cases in a month.

More than 1,116 COVID-19 related cases have been reported since Monday, according to Thursday data from NET Health. As the contagious omicron variant spreads rapidly across East Texas, the region continues to see an increase in total cases and all seven counties in NET Health’s jurisdiction remain in “substantial” levels.

In Smith County, active cases rose by more than 26% in the last three days. On Thursday, there were 4,872 active cases in the county compared to 3,846 reported Monday. The total of active cases is more than nine times the 531 active cases reported a month ago on Dec. 13.

Additionally, Smith County saw 1,116 new cases — 548 confirmed and 568 probable — reported since Monday.

NET Health defines probable cases as those that 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.

Smith County continues to have the highest community transmission rate in NET Health’s jurisdiction, though it saw a small decrease this week. The “substantial” level has decreased by 6% since Monday, now at 129.19 compared to 137.60 Monday. Gregg County continues to follow closely behind with a rate of 120.32.

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.

Substantial seven-day rolling rates are measured at 35 or more new cases, compared to moderate measured at a level of 10 to 35, and minimal at a level of 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, multiplied by 100,000, and the final number equals the rate.

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 Smith County, 54.44% of people age 5 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 47.78% of people age 5 and older had been fully vaccinated, according to the state. State data shows 85.50% of people 65 and older in the county had been vaccinated with at least one dose on Thursday, while 78.97% 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.

At the Smith County Jail as of Thursday, 43 inmates had an active diagnosis of COVID-19, and one inmate has died due to COVID-19 since the last report on Monday, according to NET Health. The Smith County Jail last week announced it has suspended visitation due to the recent uptick in cases.

About two months ago, Smith County reached a minimal community transmission level for the first time since June. At that time, all counties in NET Health’s seven-county district had reached minimal spread levels. As of Dec. 28, all counties had reached moderate spread.

There have been 42,584 total COVID-19 cases in Smith County since the pandemic began and 37,287 total recoveries, according to NET Health.

Other Counties

Gregg County had 589 new cases — 252 confirmed, 337 probable — reported since Monday. There were 2,243 total active cases within the county.

Henderson County had 243 new cases — 155 confirmed, 88 probable — reported since Monday. There were 938 total active cases within the county.

Van Zandt County had 156 new cases — 72 confirmed, 84 probable — reported since Monday. There were 684 total active cases within the county.

Anderson County had 300 new cases — 94 confirmed, 206 probable — reported since Monday. There were 797 total active cases within the county.

Wood County had 169 new cases — 81 confirmed, 88 probable — reported since Monday. There were 567 total active cases within the county.

Rains County had 46 new cases — 12 confirmed, 34 probable — reported since Monday and there were 125 total active cases within the county.

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