COVID-19 coverage graphic

COVID-19 cases rose by 36 in Gregg County and reached a new high of 10,745 across the state Tuesday, but the county also saw recoveries increase for the first time in nearly a week.

Gregg County Health Administrator A.J. Harris said the coronavirus case total reached 899 on Tuesday, up from 863 on the previous day.

Harris said recoveries edged up by 17 for a current total of 201. Gregg County has seen 16 deaths related to COVID-19.

New recoveries haven’t been reported since last Thursday.

Overall, 4,403 tests had been administered in Gregg County as of Tuesday, with 3,329 negative results and 175 results pending. Cases in Gregg County have increased by double digits each day since June 29.

In a statement on Monday, the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office reiterated its position on how deputies will be enforcing Gov. Greg Abbott’s mask order.

“First, please understand if a business refuses you service for not wearing a mask, they have the right to do so,” the sheriff’s office statement read. “Second, if the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office is placed in a position where enforcement is necessary, we will start with education and requesting voluntary compliance. If Gregg Country Sheriff’s Office Deputies encounter an individual that refuses to voluntarily comply, verbal warnings and or written warnings will follow. As a very last resort, a citation can be written at the discretion of the deputy.”

In Harrison County, COVID-19 cases rose by 19 for a total of 463, while one recovery was added, County Judge Chad Sims said Tuesday.

Recoveries in Harrison County have reached 292. Deaths remain at 32, Sims said.

“As our cases continue to rise, please make every effort to protect yourself and those around you,” Sims said. “Thankfully, most aren’t getting terribly sick but for those that do, it is very difficult. Let’s be considerate of others and wear a mask, wash our hands and keep our distance.”

Smith County recorded 58 new COVID-19 cases for a new total of nearly 1,500, the NET Health reported Tuesday.

The cumulative virus count in Smith County has reached 1,499, which includes 1,198 active cases, 294 recoveries and seven deaths.

All 58 of the cases are from tests conducted at local hospitals and community clinics, according to NET Health.

The number of East Texas patients being treated for COVID-19 at Tyler hospitals also rose to 117, up five since Monday.

Since Monday afternoon, the Texas Department of State Health Services notified Marion County Judge Leward LaFleur of one new death and one recovery.

Marion County now has 64 total COVID-19 cases, including 26 recoveries, two deaths and 37 active cases.

As of Monday, Upshur County has 105 COVID-19 cases, including 46 recoveries and 59 active cases.

Rusk County has 164 total cases, including 70 active cases, 91 recoveries and three deaths, according to the county’s office of emergency management as of Monday.

Across Texas, the record number of new diagnoses also came with news that 87 more COVID-19 patients had died since Monday, shooting the state’s death toll to 3,322 as of Tuesday.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported that 10,569 coronavirus patients were hospitalized Tuesday, occupying 19.2% of the state’s hospital beds.

As of Tuesday, 275,058 cumulative cases of the virus had been reported since the outbreak began in March, with an estimated 142,398 recoveries and 129,338 active cases. 

The total of reported cases of COVID-19 by Tuesday evening in Northeast Texas was at least 8,910, up from 8,511 on Monday. Across the region, 230 total deaths had been reported Tuesday, which was up two from Monday. Here’s a look at totals by county Tuesday and changes from Monday:

Anderson: 257 (+28), 2 deaths (-1)

Angelina: 834 (+91), 12 deaths (+3)

Bowie: 407 (+16), 28 deaths

Camp: 144 (+2), 2 deaths

Cass: 70 (+8), 3 deaths

Cherokee: 364, 2 deaths

Delta: 9 (+1)

Franklin: 61 (+2), 1 death

Gregg: 899 (+36), 16 deaths

Harrison: 463 (+19), 32 deaths 

Henderson: 335 (+16), 5 deaths

Hopkins: 88 (+2), 2 deaths

Lamar: 418 (+8), 14 deaths

Marion: 64 (+6), 2 deaths

Morris: 54 (+3)

Nacogdoches: 611 (+18), 33 deaths

Panola: 249, 25 deaths

Red River: 123, 12 deaths

Rusk: 164 (+29), 3 deaths

Shelby: 303, 14 deaths

Smith: 1,499 (+58), 7 deaths

Titus: 1,016 (+31), 7 deaths

Upshur: 107 (+7)

Van Zandt: 216 (+8), 3 deaths

Wood: 154 (+10), 5 deaths

Totals: 8,910 and 230 deaths

Sources: Texas Department of State Health Services, Northeast Texas Public Health District, local officials