Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials, in the Oct. 29 COVID-19 update, reported good news Thursday: only 4 new positive lab confirmed cases and a whopping 81 recoveries were reported. However, Texas Department of State Health Services on Oct. 29 reported 5 additional Hopkins County COVID-19 fatalities.
HC/SSEM Oct. 29 COVID-19 Update
Hopkins County appeared to be headed in a better direction Thursday, with only 4 new cases reported, the least number of new cases reported so far this week.
While the overall number of Hopkins County residents who received positive COVID-9 results increased to 306 and the cumulative total since March rose to 667, the 81 recoveries reported in the Oct. 29 COVID-19 update offset almost all of the new cases reported in the last 7 days (67 Oct. 26-29 and all except 1 of the new cases reported Friday, Oct. 23).
Overall, that makes 225 Hopkins County residents who have recovered from COVID-19 from Oct. 1-29 and 508 who have recovered since March.
The record 81 recoveries noted in the Oct. 29 COVID-19 update decreases the overall active case count (the number of Hopkins County residents who currently have COVID-19), from a record 236 on Wednesday to 159 on Thursday. The last time the active case count was lower was on Oct. 20 when 127 active cases were reported.
Also, 2 fewer patients were in the COVID Unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital Sulphur Springs on Oct. 29 than the 13 patients (the most reported so far tis month) reported on Oct. 28.
Hopkins County officials in the Oct. 29 COVID-19 update also reported only 58 COVID-19 tests were performed at the COVID-19 testing site on Oct. 28. Each day this week fewer tests have been performed at 128-A Jefferson St.: from 111 on Monday down to 63 on Tuesday, and 58 Wednesday.
The Jefferson Street COVID testing site will remain open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each Monday-Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each Saturday during November, HC/SSEM reports in the Oct. 29 COVID-19 update.
There is no out of pocket costs for tests; if individuals don’t have insurance, the test is free. GoGetTested screens for live virus using FDA approved oral swab using a lab-based PCR process.
To book a test, go online to GoGetTested.com; either scroll down to the alphabetic list. Click Book Now on the preferred testing location (in the Red Cross/old Fidelity Express — Texas Emergency Management building at 128-A Jefferson St. in Sulphur Springs), click Book Now and follow the prompts. Test results are returned in less than 48 hours on average to the preferred device provided via text or email message. Then drive through at the designated time to be tested from a vehicle. A medical professional will call those who have a positive result to discuss it.
Everyone is eligible for test, however, the person scheduling the test should be 18 or older in order to sign giving a COVID-19 public health authorization and consent. A phone is needed to register online.
DSHS Fatality Report
Texas Department of State Health Services, in the Texas Case Counts dashboard posted at 4 p.m. Oct. 29, reported Hopkins County had a total of 34 COVID-19 fatalities have been confirmed for Hopkins County. That makes 5 more Hopkins County residents who were confirmed within the last 24 hours to have died as a result of COVID-19.
Two of the latest COVID-19 deaths, confirmed by cause on death certificate, occurred over the weekend (1 each on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25). Death certificates also confirmed Hopkins County COVID-19 fatalities on Oct. 19, Oct. 15, Oct. 12 and Oct. 18, according to the DSHS Oct. 29 Fatalities over Time by County report. That makes 16 Hopkins County residents (half of the cumulative total since March) who have died this month from COVID-19: 3 on Oct. 5; 2 each on Oct. 9 and 18; and one death each on Oct.8, 10, 12, 15, 19, 22, 24 and 25.
Ten COVID-19 fatalities were also reported in September. Two Hopkins County residents died on Sept. 30 and Sept. 22, and one each on Sept. 20, 24, 25, 26, 28 and 29.
Six Hopkins County residents died from COVID-19 in August: 2 on Aug. 17; and 1 each on Aug. 2, 4, 7 and 28. In July, the first month the state began using death certificates to assign COVID-19 fatalities to counties, 2 COVID-19 deaths were assigned to Hopkins County: 1 each on July 17 and July 23. Hopkins County had no official COVID-19 deaths prior to July.
That’s 1 more COVID-19 death in Hopkins County than Rockwall County, which DSHS reports has had a total of 1,962 cases of COVID-19; 1 more death than Fannin County, which the state reports has had 793 total cases; and only 2 fewer deaths than Titus County, which DSHS reports has had 1,599 COVID-19 cases since March.
Because DSHS is reporting fatalities by date of death, the number of fatalities for recent days could grow as more death certificates are filed for those days, the state agency reports on the County Trends report. COVID-19 as the cause of death on official death certificates filed with Texas Vital Statistics is used to identify COVID-19 fatalities by county; that information is provided to DSHS, who then includes the information in daily COVID-19 reports.
HHS Reports
Texas Health and Human Services on Oct. 29 reported 1 additional employee and another resident at Carriage House Manor had tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 15. That increases the active case totals to 3 employee and 7 resident cases at the facility. As of Oct. 15, the most recent data available from HHS, Carriage House reported 41 cumulative employee case and 58 cumulative resident cases, including 32 residents who have recovered from COVID-19.
At Rock Creek Health and Rehabilitation LLC, second employee had tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 15, although only 1 of the cases was active. The nursing facility as of Oct. 15 had not reported any resident COVID-19 cases, according to the Oct. 29 HHS nursing facility report.
Sulphur Springs Health and Rehabilitation continued to have three active employee cases on Oct. 15. The facility has reported 5 cumulative employee cases, 16 cumulative resident cases, including 2 resident deaths, on Oct. 15, according to the Oct. 29 HHS nursing home report.
At Sunny Springs Health & Rehab, 5 additional employees and 6 additional residents had tested positive for COVID-19, for a total of 21 active employee cases and 21 active resident cases at the facility on Oct. 15. Cumulatively, the facility had a total of 26 employee cases and 26 resident COVID-19 cases since March, including 5 residents who had recovered from COVID-19 as of Oct. 15, according to the Oct. 29 HHS nursing facility report.
There were no active COVID-19 cases reported at either Wesley House or Hopkins Place on Oct. 15, according to the Oct. 29 HHS assisted living facility report.
There were no active COVID-19 cases reported in either employees or students at the 6 licensed child care centers, school-age programs and before and after school programs in Hopkins County on Oct. 28.
