Although the patient count in the local hospital COVID unit decreased at least 10 percent, the overall case counts increased in Hopkins County, and COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to rise in Trauma Service Area F and across the state as a whole, according to Texas Department of State Health Services and Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management Jan. 10 COVID-19 reports.
Case Counts
The DSHS Jan. 11 COVID-19 Texas Case Counts dashboard showed a total of 1,242 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed by molecular test since March, including 13 on Monday and 120 confirmed COIVD-19 cases so far this month.
Two additional probable COVID-19 cases were also reported Monday, Jan. 11 for Hopkins County, increasing the total to 71 this month. Cumulatively, that’s 1,188 probable cases since the state started documenting results of people who test positive through an antigen test or have a combination of symptoms and a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 without a more likely diagnosis.
Four Hopkins County residents were reported Monday, Jan. 11, to have recovered from COVID-19, increasing the total number of recoveries so far in January to 62. Cumulatively, 2,115 of the 2,430 Hopkins County COVID-19 cases had recovered and 79 died as a result of COVID-19. That left 236 Hopkins County residents who still actively had COVID-19 on Monday, an increase of 11 cases on Monday, according to the DSHS Jan. 11 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard.
COVID-19 Tests
Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management reported a total of 7,784 COVID-19 tests had been conducted at the free testing center in Sulphur Springs from Sept. 25 to Jan. 9, including 150 on Friday and Saturday, a total of 587 last week and 816 since Dec. 30.
The DSHS Jan. 11 COVID-19 Test and Hospital Data dashboard showed a total of 12,462 viral or molecular tests have been conducted in Hopkins County since March, including 85 additional tests on Sunday.
Eleven additional antigen tests and two additional antibody tests were conducted on Sunday in Hopkins County. Cumulatively, 1,343 antigen tests and 1,680 antibody tests have been conducted in Hopkins County since the state began tracking the data a few of months ago.
Overall, that’s 15,484 COVID-19 tests that have been conducted in Hopkins County since the state began documenting testing.
Free oral swab (molecular) COVID-19 testing will continue to be offered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays in January inside the Red Cross (old Fidelity Express Building) in Sulphur Springs. Free testing is open to anyone regardless of age or address. Registration is required online at www.GoGetTested.com in order to be tested at 128-A Jefferson Street in Sulphur Springs.
Hospital Reports
Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management official reported 22 patients in the COVID Unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs on Monday, Jan. 11. That’s 10 less than on Thursday and Friday. Monday’s patient count is the smallest in 24 days. The last time the patient count was reported to be smaller was Dec. 18, when the COVID unit held 20 patients. That’s still nearly 23 percent of the the total hospital capacity at CMFH-SS.
Conversely, the overall patient count in Trauma Service Area F and across the state rose on from 184 on Jan. 9 to 219 on Jan. 10, while the overall COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas rose from 13,111 on Saturday to 13,397 on Sunday.
The total number of staffed hospital beds in TSA-F also increased from 881 on Jan, 9 to 995 on Jan. 10, which was still the second lowest since Nov. 2, when the total hospital number of staffed hospital beds was 972. There were also 903 total staffed inpatient beds, 99 more than on Jan. 9, and 586 total hospitalizations in TSA-F on Jan. 10, which is 74 more than on Jan. 9.
Overall, COVID-19 hospitalizations made up 22.01 percent of the total hospital capacity in TSA-F for Jan. 10, up from 20.89 percent on Jan. 9, but still less than the 22.22 percent reported on Jan. 7 and 22. 54 percent reported Jan. 8, according to the DSHS Dec, 9 COVID-19 Test and Hospital Data dashboard and Combined Hospital Data Over Time by TSA Region report. Jan. 10 was the 16th consecutive day in which COVID-19 hospitalizations made up 15 percent or more of the overall hospital capacity in TSA-F and the 12th day in a row the COVID-19 hospitalizations have exceeded the 15 percent threshold in TSA-F.
As a result of the high hospitalizations, GA-32 has been in effect for TSA-F since Jan. 2. That means certain businesses, including restaurants, libraries and museums in TSA-F counties are required to reduce capacity from 75 to 50 percent, and elective, non-emergency surgeries are to be put on hold in all counties within TSA-F except Delta, Morris and Red River Counties, which have filed attestations that each has had less than 30 new active cases in two weeks.
The number of available ICU beds shrunk again on from six on Saturday to four on Sunday, which is still three more than on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3; 76 ventilators were available, 7 more than on Jan. 9. The number of available hospital beds in TSA-F rose from 292 on Saturday to 317 on Sunday, which is still one more than on Jab. 8, one less than on Jan. 6, 34 less than on Jan. 3 and , 54 less than on Dec. 28 and 11 than on Dec. 26 ( the first day of consecutive high hospitalizations at or over 15).
Nursing Home Reports
Texas Health and Human Services in the Jan. 11 COVID-19 nursing facilities report showed three residents of Carriage House Manor and three employees at Sulphur Springs Health and Rehabilitation had recovered from COVID-19 on Dec. 28, the most recent data available for nursing homes. Unfortunately, two additional residents of Rock Creek Health and Rehabilitation had tested positive for COVID-19.
That left four active employee cases and one active resident cases of COVID-19 at Carriage House Manor, 19 active employee cases and 42 active resident cases at Rock Creek Health and Rehab on Dec. 28, according to the Jan. 11 HHS coronavirus report.
