For the first time in a very long time, Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials on Oct. 16 reported receiving no new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. While Texas Department of State Health Services reported no additional COVID-19 fatalities were reported on Oct. 16 for Hopkins County, Texas Health and Human Services reported 1 additional nursing home resident died as a result of COVID-19.
DSHS/HHS COVID-19 Reports
There also were no new recoveries reported by HC/SSEM officials in the Oct. 16 Hopkins County COVID-19 update, and HHS on Oct. 16 reported no active cases among students and staff at Hopkins County child care centers on Oct. 15 and no changes in the number of COVID-19 cases at assisted living facilities in Sulphur Springs as of Oct. 2.
A second resident of Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab was reported to have died as a result of COVID-19 and another resident of the facility was reported to have tested positive for the virus as of Oct. 2, the most recent date available for nursing home data, according to the HHS Oct. 16 nursing home report.
Six employees of Sunny Springs Nursing & Rehab no longer had COVID-19 on Oct. 2 but 5 additional employees of the facility had tested positive for novel coronavirus 2019 on the second day of October. The facility was reported to have at some point since March had four resident COVID-19 cases; no additional information regarding the resident cases was available on the Oct. 16 HHS nursing facility report.
Carriage House Manor on Oct. 2 continued to have 13 active employee cases and 18 active resident cases, as has been the case since Sept. 3, the day a total of 8 resident deaths were reported at the facility, according to the HHS report.
The only active COVID-19 case associated with a Sulphur Springs assisted living facility as of Oct. 2 was the employee case first reported Sept. 23 at Wesley House. That makes 5 employees and 7 residents of the facility who have had COVID-19 since March, according to the HHS Oct. 16 assisted living facility report.
HC/SSEM Oct. 16 COVID-19 Update
For the first time since Sept. 15, there were no new COVID-19 cases or recoveries reported on Oct. 16. That did not mean there are not active COVID-19 cases in the county. There were in fact still 111 active lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hopkins County.
Cumulatively, 353 of the 464 Hopkins County residents who have tested positive since March have recovered from the virus, HC/SSEM officials reported.
The COVID-19 Unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs housed 10 patients on Friday, Oct. 16, HC/SSEM officials reported in the Oct. 16 Hopkins County COVID-19 Update. That’s 2 more in the hospital COVID unit than on Oct. 15 and twice as many as on Oct. 12,
From Oct. 10-16 Hopkins County residents received positive COVID-19 antigen test results from testing facilities within Hopkins County. That’s 225 positive antigen tests so far in October and 366 positive antigen test results reported for Hopkins County residents who were tested at Hopkins County facilities since the Local Health Authority and HC/SSEM official began reporting positive antigen test results on Sept. 4. These results do not count towards state numbers, and will not be shown as “recovered.” The state totals, which are reported daily by the HC/SSEM when confirmed, are the “official” COVID-19 case counts for the county.
HC/SSEM officials also reported an additional 85 molecular COVID-19 tests were conducted Thursday, Oct. 15, at the testing center testing center located at 128-A Jefferson Street. That’s 403 free COVID-19 tests conducted at the free testing site this week, 1,065 tests performed so far this month and 1,349 oral COVID-19 tests taken since the Jefferson Street testing site opened on Sept. 25. These do not necessarily reflect the number of Hopkins County residents tested as testing is open to anyone.
Testing is expected to continue from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. There are no requirements for testing. Simply register online at GoGetTested.com. Walk-ins are also welcome.
