COVID-19 coverage graphic

COVID-19 related deaths rose by two in Smith County, while positive virus cases at the county jail soared to a figure over six times higher than what was reported the previous day.

Additionally, the number of positive cases in the general population rose by nearly 100, the Northeast Texas Public Health District reported Tuesday.

NET Health announced the deaths of a 92-year-old Tyler woman and a 67-year-old Tyler man along with 91 confirmed cases and 20 probable cases among the Smith County general population, bringing the confirmed total to 3,136 and probable count to 425. The confirmed active count is at 611 and there are 138 probable active cases.

Smith County has had 48 virus related deaths, including four that are considered probable, according to NET Health.

Confirmed recoveries also rose by 37 for a total of 2,481, while probable recoveries remained at 283, NET Health said.

As of Tuesday, 149 Smith County Jail inmates have an active diagnosis of COVID-19, which is up from 23 on Monday, according to NET Health data.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office said the large jump in cases among inmates is a result of mass testing at the jail.

All 408 inmates at the North Jail, also known as the low-risk facility, were tested Monday. Out of those tests, 125 inmates received a positive result. According to the sheriff’s office, all of these inmates do not have symptoms.

“Each of these inmates are currently asymptomatic and would not have been detected if not for precautionary testing,” the sheriff’s office statement read.

On Tuesday, 86 tests were administered at the towers section of the Smith County Central Jail. All of these tests are pending and expected back Wednesday morning, the statement said.

Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sgt. Larry Christian said mass testing will likely continue. He added the jail staff is working to isolate those with COVID-19 as much as possible.

Overall, 137 inmates at the North Jail have an active case of COVID-19 along with 12 inmates at the Central Jail.

The sheriff’s office said it has implemented precautionary measures in an attempt to minimize the virus impact on the jail staff and inmates.

One inmate has died due to COVID-19. Raul Rodriguez, 61, tested positive for the virus and died in mid-May, according to Rodriguez’s family.

As of Monday evening, 14 detention officers at the Smith County Jail have an active virus case, according to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

TCJS numbers do not include inmates or officers who may have recovered.

The number of East Texans receiving treatment at Tyler hospitals rose by 11 since Monday to a new total of 143.

NET Health categorizes COVID-19 reporting to include both probable and confirmed cases of the virus. This means that the number of total cases, active cases, new cases, recovered cases and deaths will now be separated into the two aforementioned categories.

Other counties

Also on Tuesday, Henderson County recorded three new COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the county’s total to 15. The three deaths were a 71-year-old Gun Barrel City man, an 88-year-old Athens man and a 78-year-old LaRue woman, according to NET Health.

Henderson County also added six confirmed cases and four probable diagnoses. The county has 771 confirmed total cases and 105 probable cases, NET Health said. There are 321 active confirmed cases and 101 probable active diagnoses.

The county has 435 confirmed recoveries and four probable recoveries, the health district said.

Gregg County saw a rise of 25 cases for a total of 1,922, including 1,149 recoveries and 36 deaths, according to the Gregg County Health Department.

Both the number of recoveries and deaths remained steady since Monday.

Van Zandt County added nine new confirmed cases for a cumulative count of 508. There are also 39 total probable cases, according to NET Health. The county’s death toll remained steady with 18 confirmed virus deaths and two probable deaths.

Recoveries rose by five, bringing the confirmed count to 281 recovered people. Nine people have likely recovered in Van Zandt County, NET Health reported.

Wood County recorded six new confirmed cases and three probable cases. The county has 392 confirmed cases and 27 probable cases. The county has 298 confirmed recoveries and five probable recoveries. Wood County’s death count remained at 14, NET Health reported.

Anderson County reported zero new confirmed cases and three probable diagnoses. The county has 656 confirmed cases and 71 probable ones. There are 273 confirmed recoveries and six probable recoveries. Eleven Palestine residents have died due to COVID-19, according to NET Health. These numbers do not reflect inmates at the prisons in Tennessee Colony.

Rains County also added a new death for a total of three. The county has 58 confirmed cases and 13 probable ones. Confirmed recoveries are at 29, while there are two probable recoveries, according to NET Health.

Cherokee County has a total of 1,377 virus cases, including 1,167 recoveries and five deaths, according to the Cherokee County Public Health Department.

Smith County statistics

Of the 3,136 confirmed cases, 2,426 are in Tyler, 203 in Lindale, 157 in Whitehouse, 129 in Flint, 59 in Bullard, 50 in Troup, 34 in Winona, 28 in Hideaway, 25 in Arp, eight in Mineola, six in Kilgore, six in Gladewater and five in Overton.

On Tuesday, NET Health broke down the ages of people with COVID-19 into categories of 10. The data was previously reported in intervals of 20.

Below age 1: 32

1-10: 147

11-20: 451

21-30: 726

31-40: 550

41-50: 486

51-60: 468

61-70: 341

71-80: 208

81-90: 116

91-100: 36

Regarding gender, 1,434 are men and 1,702 are women.