The Dec. 15 COVID-19 updates for Hopkins County showed a drop in the patient count in the hospital COVID unit and a significant drop in active COVID-19 cases in Hopkins County, as well as a large number of COVID-19 recoveries recoveries on Tuesday. Unfortunately, two additional Hopkins County COVID-19 fatalities and 14 new and probable cases were also reported. The number of people tested at the free site in Sulphur Springs also rose Monday.
Dec. 15 COVID-19 Case Counts
Texas Department of State Health Services’ Dec. 15 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard showed a cumulative total of 974 Hopkins County residents have been confirmed by molecular testing to be COVID-19 since March. That’s two more Hopkins County residents who tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday, the same as on Monday. for a total of 142 new confirmed molecular COVID-19 tests during the first half half of December.
The Dec. 14 COVID 19 Case Counts dashboard also showed a dozen more probable COVID-19 cases were also reported, for a total of 70 new probable case reported by DSHS in the last five days. Overall, 993 probable cases have been recorded for Hopkins County since June 23, when the state began tracking the data.
According to DSHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to be considered a “probable” case a person has either tested positive through an antigen test or has a combination of symptoms and a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 without a more likely diagnosis.
For the first time in five days, DSHS reported “new” recoveries. On Dec. 15, 186 additional Hopkins County residents were considered to have recovered from COVID-19, increasing the cumulative total number of recoveries from among both case categories to 1,806
The low number of new and probable cases and high number of recoveries helped reduce the overall active COVID-19 case count among Hopkins County residents from 273 cases on Monday, Dec. 14, to 99 cases on Dec. 15. That’s the first time in five days there have been fewer than 200 active cases, according to the DSHS dashboard and cases over time by county data.
Hospital Reports
Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials in the Dec. 15 COVID-19 update reported four fewer patient count in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs than the high of 26 cases on Monday. Tuesday was the second day this month in which 22 patients were being treated in the COVID unit at the hospital; there were also 22 COVID-19 positive patients in the hospital on Dec. 9.
In Trauma Service Area F, which includes CMFH-SS and other Northeast Texas hospitals, 146 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients were in the hospital, one less than on Monday. Overall, COIVD-19 patients continued to make up 13.61 percent of the total hospital capacity in TSA-F on Dec. 15.
TSA F was reported to have 1,073 total staffed hospital beds on Tuesday, seven less than on Monday. Total hospitalizations in Area F decreased by 9 to 609 on Dec. 15. The total number of staffed inpatient beds decreased from 989 on Monday to 982 on Tuesday.
Two more hospital beds were available in Area F hospitals on Dec. 15 than the 371 on Monday. Eight ICU beds and 66 ventilators were available Tuesday in TSA F, which is one less available ICU bed and 6 less ventilators.
Testing Report
The DSHS Test and Hospital Data Dashboard also showed a total of 13,827,191 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in Texas as of Dec. 14, including 12,275 COVID-19 tests from Hopkins Count.
Hopkins County also accounts for 902 of the 922,161 antigen tests conducted across the state, and 1,075 of the 621,818 antibody tests Performed in Texas through Dec. 14..
Of the 12,283,212 molecular COVID screenings conducted in Texas since May, 10,298 were performed in Hopkins County.
HC/SSEM officials in the Dec. 15 COVID-19 update reported that 182 of the molecular tests were performed at the free testing site on Dec. 14, That’s 565 oral swab tests performed in the last week, and 1,096 so far this month and 5,627 since the testing center at 128-A Jefferson St. opened on Sept. 25.
Free testing continues in the Red Cross (old Fidelity Express) building from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and starting at 9 a.m. Saturdays throughout the month of December.
Tests Category December 14 December 15 Molecular Tests 10,204 10,298 Antigen Tests 889 902 Antibody Tests 1,071 1,075 Total Testing 12164 12275
COVID-19 Fatalities
The Dec. 15 COVID-19 dashboard showed 62 Hopkins County residents have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, that’s two new COIVD-19 deaths confirmed by death certificate for Hopkins County.
Five Hopkins County residents have died from COVID-19 in December, and all within the first week of the month: one each on Dec. 1, Dec. 2, Dec. 3, Dec. 6 and Dec. 7, according to the DSHS Dec. 15 COVID-19 Fatalities Over Time by County report. That matches Nov. 1-15 when five COVID-19 deaths occurred as well. There were twice as many fatalities reported Oct. 1-15, however.
