COVID-19 data in Smith County: Transmission rate up 68% since Monday

Published 5:25 pm Thursday, January 20, 2022

The seven-day rolling rate of COVID-19 infection in Smith County has soared in the last three days, according to data Thursday from the Northeast Texas Public Health District.

The “substantial” community transmission rate has increased by more than 68% since Monday, according to NET Health. Previously reported at 129.19 a week ago last Thursday then remaining stagnant at that same level Monday, the rate has now soared to 217.33 as of Thursday.

As all seven counties in NET Health’s jurisdiction continue to experience substantial levels of infection transmission, Smith County still has the highest rate in the region with Van Zandt County following behind at 117.38.

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.

Additionally, Thursday data show active cases in the county are up more than 43%, now at 8,411 total active cases compared to 5,860 reported on Monday. The current amount of active cases is about 73% more than the active cases reported a week ago.

Nearing a pandemic high, NET Health also reported 2,552 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the county since Monday. The amount of new cases is more than all the cases reported from Jan. 7-13, which totaled 2,102 cases over the seven-day period.

Data reflects 2,342 of the new cases Thursday to be confirmed while 210 are probable. 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.

The amount of new cases this month trends closely to the last pandemic-high record, NET Health data show. Since Jan. 1, Smith County has seen 7,519 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 NET Health. The last pandemic high reported was in September, when the county saw a total of 8,351 new cases in a month, according to NET Health.

On Thursday, NET Health reported there were 239 East Texans being treated for COVID-19 at Tyler hospitals. The county’s hospitalization rates now trend similar to data last seen in mid-to-late October.

The number of COVID-19 patients in the state’s 19-county Trauma Region G also continues to increase. On Thursday, there were 419 patients hospitalized in the region, an increase of 46 patients since Monday’s report. The hospitalization number includes 99 patients in intensive-care units and 66 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.

As of Thursday in Smith County, 54.74% of people age 5 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 47.99% of people age 5 and older had been fully vaccinated, according to the state. State data shows 85.66% of people 65 and older in the county had been vaccinated with at least one dose on Thursday, while 79.09% 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, 81 inmates had an active diagnosis of COVID-19, and one inmate has died due to COVID-19, according to NET Health. The Smith County Jail recently announced it has suspended in-person visitation due to the recent uptick in cases.

There have been 46,124 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 412 new cases — 268 confirmed, 144 probable — reported since Monday. There were 3,175 total active cases within the county.

■ Henderson County had 351 new cases — 282 confirmed, 69 probable — reported since Monday. There were 1,432 total active cases within the county.

■ Van Zandt County had 315 new cases — 230 confirmed, 85 probable — reported since Monday. There were 1,143 total active cases within the county.

■ Anderson County had 137 new cases — 59 confirmed, 78 probable — reported since Monday. There were 972 total active cases within the county.

■ Wood County had 212 new cases — 157 confirmed, 55 probable — reported since Monday. There were 924 total active cases within the county.

■ Rains County had 66 new cases — 35 confirmed, 31 probable — reported since Monday and there were 210 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.