Gregg County COVID-19 presence remains low

Published 4:46 pm Monday, April 18, 2022

Fewer than 10 new total cases of COVID-19 were reported in Gregg County residents during a long Easter weekend, according to public health officials.

The Northeast Texas Public Health District, known as NET Health, on Monday reported eight new cases since Thursday, six of which were probable and two confirmed, in county residents. The new cases pushed active cases in the county from 62 to 70; however, COVID-19 activity remained scant.

On Thursday, NET Health reported no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 along with two probable cases since the previous report.

The seven-day rolling rate of infection of the virus in Gregg County rose slightly — from 0.69 on Thursday to 1.15 on Monday; however, it also remained very low.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there have been 683 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

On Sunday, the latest day for which data was available, there were 23 patients being treated for COVID-19 in the state’s 19-county Trauma Region G that includes Gregg and Smith counties, according to the state.

In early February, the number of patients rose to the low 500s after reaching a pandemic high in September of 820.

On Monday, there were 17 patients being treated for COVID-19 at hospitals in Tyler, according to NET Health.

In Smith County, the district on Monday reported 12 new total cases with 194 active cases in the county.

In Harrison County, there have been 37 new cases in the past week, according to County Judge Chad Sims. The new cases show an average of five new cases per day, which is a “significant increase from last week,” Sims said.

In the week ending April 11, eight total new cases were reported down from 18 the previous week and 26 the week before that.

“Fortunately we’ve had no additional fatalities,” Sims said in a statement on Facebook. “The virus is still out there and spreading so please be cautious especially around those who may have poor immune systems.”