Fewest Number Of COVID-19 Patients In Texas Hospitals In 6 Weeks
May 27-June 3 marks the testing report period in a row in which 6 or more confirmed new COVID-19 cases were reported in Hopkins County. Conversely, the total number of screenings conducted slowed, with only 31 new tests conducted over the last week. Only 19 tests results came back over the last week, leaving a dozen more test results pending this week than on May 27, according to the weekly Hopkins County COVID-19 testing update provided June 3 by Hopkins County Hospital District COO/EMS Director Brent Smith.
Hopkins County COVID-19 Testing
While Hopkins County had 6 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases over the last week, the most cases of any day last week was 3. That’s still fewer than the one-day high of 4 new cases reported on Tuesday, May 26. Overall, Hopkins county had four cases in April, with all recovered by the end of the month. In May, there were 22 new cases, and one so far in June, bringing Hopkins County’s 80-day COVID-19 total to 27 cases.
The first new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 reported in Hopkins County since April 4 were reported the afternoon of May 1. Hopkins County officials reported 2 new cases on May 1, May 20, May 21 and May 25; 1 new case each on May 7, May 10, June 2; 3 new cases on May 19, 26 and 29; and 4 cases on May 26.
An increase in cases was anticipated along with the significant increase in tests available and being conducted over the last month. Testing was conducted during a second mobile test collection event at the Civic Center May 15, at local nursing homes and reportedly offered by least one private business between May 22 and May 27, accounting for the large increases in testing over the previous 2 test reporting periods.
“Some private businesses and health facilities have used private organizations to screen their workers, those numbers are not represented in this press release as they are not required to report the information to the Hospital District. Their information is only reported to Texas Department of State Health Services (TX-DSHS),” Smith noted in the June 3 Covid-19 testing update.
Testing increased from 181 total screenings sent for testing as of April 28, to 301 tests as of May 5, 346 tests as of May 12, 509 tests as of May 22, 893 tests sent for testing as of May 27. With the 31 new screenings sent for testing over the last week, the total number of COVID-19 tests for Hopkins County as of 11 a.m. June 3, 2020 was 924.
The number of COVID-19 patients who have been confirmed as recovered from the virus is still 6. The first four patients battling COVID-19 were reported April 22 to have recovered, giving Hopkins County 8 days without any active COVID-19 cases, according to officials. Two additional patients recovered from COVID-19 between May 12 and May 22. No additional recoveries have been confirmed and reported to Hopkins County officials since then, although DSHS’s COVID-19 dashboard for the last week has shown Hopkins County to have 7 patients who have recovered from COVID-19.
As of the June 3 reporting, Hopkins County had no confirmed coronavirus related deaths, according to the report and Hopkins County emergency management officials.
Since the May 27 update provided by Smith, 13 additional tests have come back negative for COVID-19, for a total of 635 lab-confirmed negative tests for Hopkins County residents as of the June 3 HCHD/EMS testing report.
As of 11 a.m. June 3, 249 test results were still pending, 12 more than on May 27 report and the most pending results at one time since HCHD/EMS began providing testing updates. Overall, 924 individual tests of individuals who reside in Hopkins County who met criteria put in place by DSHS and the Centers for Disease Control for screening, according to the June 3 Hopkins County COVID-19 Testing Update provided by Smith.
Northeast Texas County Testing
While the numbers in Hopkins County more were more than 5 times higher in May than March and April combined, the overall total of 27 COVID-19 cases in Hopkins County as of June 3 is still significantly lower than those of several other counties in the area. Depending on the type of health authority or district in each county, the numbers from local and regional sources may vary from those state reports.
Only 4 counties in Northeast Texas had fewer cases of COVID-19 than Hopkins County.
Delta County has had only 2 cases, with at least one 1 recovery and no fatalities since March, according to the DSHS June 3 report.
Rains County, according to DSHS, has only had four total cases, two of which have recovered and two that are in isolation. NETHD also shows four cases and no fatalities in Rains County.
Both Franklin and Marion County had only 17 cases of COVID-19, including 15 recoveries and 1 death, as of the June 3 DSHS report.
Of the 481 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Titus County, 106 people had recovered and two others diagnosed with coronavirus had died as of the 3:25 p.m. June 3 DSHS/HHS report. Daily estimates on this report reflect totals as of evening before, so in this case June 2. Titus County Judge Brian Lee Tuesday reported 541 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 30 additional cases confirmed Tuesday evening, including three deaths.
Wood County has surpassed Hopkins County with a total of 40 cases of COVID-19 since March, including 5 new cases reported on June 1 and two new cases reported around 6:15 p.m. June 3 by Wood County Judge Lucy Hebron. Wood County has also had 4 deaths, including one on June 3; at least 3 of the fatalities were individuals over the age of 70, according to Hebron. DSHS data shows 19 recoveries for Wood County.
Additional COVID-19 totals from other nearby counties in the Northeast Texas area, as reported by DSHS, are include:
- Uphur County — 28 cases, 0 fatalities, 17 recoveries;
- Fannin County — 40 cases, 2 fatalities, 24 recoveries;
- Red River County — 74 cases, 8 fatalities, 29 recoveries;
- Camp County — 84 cases, 0 fatalities, 22 recoveries;
- Hunt County — 91 cases, 4 fatalities, 47 recoveries;
- Lamar County — 151 cases, 11 fatalities, 98 recoveries; and
- Rockwall County — 171 cases, 14 fatalities, 120 recoveries.
Texas Testing
Across the state, three additional counties reported cases of COVID-19, for a total of 232 of the 254 counties across the state reporting confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, according to Texas Department of State Health Services and Texas Health and Human Services COVID-19.
Overall,1,150,868 total tests had been conducted in Texas as of June 3, with 110,506 antibody tests as of June 2, according to the state report. Texas as a whole has had 56,560 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 11,711 cases over the last week.
Of those patients, 10,517 additional Texans have recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total to 45,858. Unfortunately, an additional 198 Texans with COVID-19 died between May 27 and June 2, for a total of 1,734 deaths, according to DSHS.
Texas Hospitals
Of the total 20,679 active COVID-19 cases across the state, 1,487 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients were in Texas hospitals, 158 less than on May 27, according to the DSHS/HHS data. In fact, that’s the fewest number of patients in Texas hospitals since April 21, when 1,419 COVID-19 patients were being treated in Texas hospitals.
In Trauma Service Area F, which includes Hopkins County, 18 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients were in the hospital, four fewer than on May 27, according to the DSHS/HHS reports. That leaves 781 hospital beds, 91 IU beds and 90 ventilators available for use in Region F should the area experience a significant spike in COVID-19 or other cases. Across the state, that leaves 14,948 regular hospital beds, 1,621 ICU beds and 5,779 ventilators available for use, according to the DSHS data.
Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities
Across the state, 4,113 nursing home residents have been confirmed to have COVID-19. There have been 692 patient fatalities and 1,284 recoveries from among nursing home residents in 441 nursing homes with confirmed patient or staff COVID-19 cases, according to DSHS.
DSHS reports COVID-19 nursing home data by region. Hopkins County is located within Texas Public Health Region 4/5N which spans west from Bowie County and Newton Counties to Lamar County and San Jacinto Counties.
Overall, in Region 4/5N, 50 nursing homes have had residents or staff who tested positive for COVID-19. Of the 433 residents confirmed to have COVID-19 in those nursing homes, 137 have recovered and there have been 81 fatalities, according to DSHS “COVID-19 Outbreaks in Long-term Care Facilities” report.
Across Texas, 135 assisted living facilities have confirmed staff or resident cases of COVID-19. Of the 491 residents of assisted living facilities who were confirmed to have COVID-19, 215 residents have recovered and 112 have died.
In Public Health Region 4/5N, seven assisted living facilities have had patients or staff confirmed to have COVID-19. Of the 17 patients who were confirmed to have COVID-19, 11 have recovered. There have also been five fatalities in assisted living facilities, according to the DSHS data.
