Gregg County’s active cases, rolling rate of infection increase slightly over the weekend

Published 4:07 pm Monday, December 20, 2021

Active cases of COVID-19 in Gregg County have increased slightly, according to public health data released Monday.

On Monday, active cases in the county increased to 179 since Thursday’s report of 170 total cases, according to statistics released by the Northeast Texas Public Health District. NET Health reported 29 new cases — 10 confirmed and 19 probable — in the county as of Monday.

According to NET Health, probable cases are attributed to patients who have received a 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 COVID-19 infection increased to 7.14 Monday. The rate increased by 5%, reported at a minimal community spread level of 6.80 on Thursday. Gregg County has the second-lowest community spread level in the public health district’s seven-county jurisdiction. Rains County, which has a level of 1.14, is the lowest.

The minimal community spread window consists of a rate of between zero and 10 and indicates evidence of isolated cases or limited community transmission, that cases are underway and that there is no evidence of exposure in large, congregate settings. The seven-day rolling rate is determined by taking the average number of all COVID-19 positive cases from the previous seven days. That number is then divided by the population of the county and multiplied by 100,000.

There have been 19,632 COVID-19 cases in Gregg County since the pandemic began, with 19,168 total recoveries, according to NET Health.

Three Gregg County jail inmates had an active diagnosis of COVID-19, according to NET Health’s data since Thursday. There have been no virus-related jail deaths reported over the weekend, according to the district.

In Gregg County, 54.06% of people age 5 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, while 47.38% of residents 5 and older had been fully vaccinated, according to the state. State data shows 87.97% of people 65 and older had been vaccinated with at least one dose as of Monday, while 80.73% 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.

On Monday, there were 94 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the state’s 19-county Trauma Region G, approximately four fewer than Thursday. Of COVID patients hospitalized, 27 of those are in ICUs and 12 patients are 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.

Other Counties

Smith County saw 136 new cases — 65 confirmed, 71 probable — reported since Thursday. There are 621 total active cases within the county. There have been 36,815 total recoveries reported.

Henderson County had 33 new cases — 15 confirmed, 18 probable — reported since Thursday. There are 164 total active cases within the county. There have been 9,769 total recoveries reported.

Van Zandt County had 21 new cases — 12 confirmed, nine probable — reported since Thursday. There are 151 total active cases within the county. There have been 8,129 total recoveries reported.

Anderson County had 15 new cases — 12 confirmed, three probable — reported since Thursday. There are 86 total active cases within the county. There have been 5,567 total recoveries reported.

Wood County had 18 new cases — 13 confirmed, five probable — reported since Thursday. There are 124 total active cases within the county. There have been 6,540 total recoveries reported.

Rains County had no new cases reported since Thursday and there are 15 total active cases within the county. There have been 1,512 total recoveries.

Total recoveries and total active cases include probable and confirmed data. Data gathered in Monday’s report represents the past 96 hours, from noon Thursday to noon Monday.