COVID data: Gregg County’s active cases, community transmission rates up since Monday

Published 5:59 pm Thursday, January 20, 2022

Transmission levels of COVID-19 remained near a pandemic high Thursday in Gregg County as public health data reflect new cases this month are more than twice those reported in the past three months combined.

The seven-day rolling rate of new positive COVID-19 cases was 107.53 in Gregg County on Thursday, according to the Northeast Texas Public Health District. The district began publishing its data in September 2020, and the highest rate reported before this month was 117.33 in late August to September 2021.

Thursday’s rate of new infections is up from the 127.70 reported on Monday. Monday’s seven-day rolling rate of infection is more than 12 times the 10.02 rate reported about a month ago for the week of Dec. 17 to 23.

NET Health on Thursday reported 412 new total — 268 confirmed and 144 probable — cases in the county. There have been 2,901 new cases in county residents this month. The highest number of new cases in a single month was in September when 4,099 new cases were reported.

Active cases in the county rose by nearly 15% since Monday. On Thursday, there were 3,175 active cases in the county compared to 2,763 reported Monday. The total of active cases is more than 17 times the 179 active cases reported a month ago on Dec. 20.

Gregg and the six other counties for which NET Health provides disease surveillance on Monday remained well above transmission levels representing “substantial” community spread.

Substantial community spread represents large-scale, uncontrolled community transmission of the virus in places such as grocery stores, schools, churches and workplaces.

On Thursday, NET Health reported there were 239 East Texans being treated for COVID-19 at Tyler hospitals. 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 Gregg County, 55.63% of people age 5 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 48.40% of people age 5 and older had been fully vaccinated, according to the state. State data shows 88.74% of people 65 and older in the county had been vaccinated with at least one dose on Thursday, while 81.11% 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.

Other counties

• Smith County had 2,552 new cases — 2,343 confirmed, 210 probable — reported since Monday. On Thursday, there were 8,411 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.