Texas Department of State Health Services’ Jan. 15 COVID-19 reports show eight new COVID-19 cases for Hopkins County, half the amount reported on Thursday. COVID-19 hospitalizations in Sulphur Springs increased slightly, as did the COVID-19 hospitalization percentages in Trauma Service Area F, according Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management and DSHS reports.
Case Counts
DSHS reported a total of 1,279 Hopkins County residents have tested COVID-19 positive on lab-confirmed molecular tests since March 2020. The six new confirmed cases reported on Jan. 15 increased the total since Sunday to 63 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. That makes 157 new confirmed novel coronavirus 2019 cases so reported during the first 15 days of January 2021.
Two additional probable cases were also reported for Hopkins County on Friday, increasing the weekly total to 17 new probable cases. So far in 2021, 85 probable COVID-19 cases have been reported. Cumulatively, since the state began tracking probable cases, Hopkins County has had 1,202 probable coronavirus cases.
After reports of recoveries daily for nine straight days, including 16 on Wednesday and 24 on Thursday, DSHS on Friday had no new recoveries to report. The total for the week so far stands at 56 recoveries. This month 110 Hopkins County residents have recovered from COVID-19
Cumulatively, since the pandemic began around spring break of 2020 in Hopkins County, 2,163 of the 2,481 COVID-19 cases concluded with recoveries and 83 Hopkins County residents have died of COVID-19, four of them this month.
Factoring in the eight new cases reported on Friday, that leaves 235 Hopkins County residents who have tested positive on molecular tests or who are considered “probable” cases based on positive antigen test results and those who have a combination of symptoms and a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 without a more likely diagnosis.
COVID-19 Testing
A total of 8,055 COVID-19 tests have been performed at 128-A Jefferson Street since the Red Cross building was opened as a free testing site, Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials noted in the Jan. 15 COVID-19 update. That means 65 additional oral swab tests were performed on Jan. 14. That makes 419 COVID-19 tests conducted at the free COVID-19 testing center in the last seven days.
Cumulatively, that’s 12,868 viral (molecular) COVID-19 tests performed in Hopkins County since the pandemic began, DSHS reported in the Jan. 15 COVID-19 Test and Hospital Data dashboard. Since the state began tracking the data, 1,410 antigen tests and 1,694 antibody tests have been performed in Hopkins County. That’s a total of 15,972 COVID-19 tests that have been performed in Hopkins County and reported to DSHS.
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 officials at 2 p.m. Jan. 15 reported a slight rise in the CHRISTUS Mother Frances-Sulphur Springs COVID Unit patient count. The patient count in the local hospital COVID Unit has been climbing all week, rising from 22 on Monday and Tuesday to 24 Wednesday, 28 Thursday and 29 on Friday. Last week 29 was the least number of patients in the COVID-19 unit, and that was recorded on Jan. 4. The patient count rose to 30 on Jan. 5, 31 on Jan. 6, and 32 on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8. The local COVID unit is equipped with beds to accommodate up to 35 COVID patients who require hospitalization.
In Trauma Service Area F COVID-19 hospitalizations declined while overall hospitalizations rose on Jan. 14, but the percent of hospital capacity COVID-19 hospitalizations made up still increased Thursday.
A total of 220 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in TSA-F hospitals, which span westward across Northeast Texas from Bowie and Cass Counties to Lamar and Hopkins counties. That’s a dozen less COVID-19 patients on Jan. 14 than on Jan. 13, and 21 less than on Jan. 11.
A total of 1,066 hospital beds were staffed in TSA-F on Thursday, 15 more than on Wednesday and 44 more than on Tuesday, but still 22 less than on Jan. 5 and 47 less than on Dec. 29.
Of the 1,066 staffed beds, 974 were inpatient beds. That’s 15 more inpatients on Thursday than were reported on Wednesday and 71 more than on Jan. 10, but still 22 less than on Jan. 5 and 69 less than on Dec. 31.
A total of 658 hospitalizations were reported in TSA-F on Jan. 14, nine more than on Jan. 13 and 72 more than on Jan. 10, but still 59 less than on Dec. 31.
Those increases in overall patient counts and decrease in COVID-19 patients in TSA-F hospitals mean that COVID-19 hospitalizations made up 20.64 percent of the total hospital capacity across the TSA on Jan. 14, which is consider to be “high hospitalizations.” That’s up slightly from 22.07 percent on Jan. 13, 22.6 percent on Jan. 12 and 23.42 percent on Jan. 11, according to the DSHS Jan. 15 COVID-19 Test and Hospital Data dashboard and Combined Hospital Data over Time by TSA Region report.
COVID-19 cases have made up 15 or more percent of the total hospital capacity in Trauma Service Area F since Dec. 26. Because of that “high hospitalization” percentage, TSA-F has been subject to reduced business capacities and has had to halt elective surgeries since Jan. 2, after the first seven days of high hospitalizations, as stipulated in GA-32.
COVID-19 Vaccine
A total of 1,029 vaccines have been administered in Hopkins County, out of the 1,200 allocated by the state to Sulphur Springs providers. The first dose was administered to 1,013 people and the second dose of the vaccine had been administered to 16 people in Hopkins County. As is the case across the state more females than males have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in Hopkins County.
Receiving the first dose of the vaccine in Hopkins County were 197 women and 152 men ages 65 to 79, 188 females and 93 males ages 16-49, 164 women and 85 men ages 50-64, 79 women and 50 men 129 ages 80 and older, and two people for whom no demographics were recorded.
Among those who have received both doses of the vaccine were six females and five males ages 16-49, and five women age 50-64, according to the DSHS Ja. 15 COVID-19 Vaccine dashboard.
Additional information about the COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine provider and hub locations map and contact information and the COVID-19 vaccine dashboard is available on the DSHS website.
Nursing Home Reports
Texas Health and Human Services’ Jan. 15 COVID-19 nursing facilities report reported 15 fewer active employee COVID-19 cases and one less active resident case, and two additional resident fatalities at Sulphur Springs nursing homes as of Dec. 31.
Rock Creek Health and Rehabilitation reported seven employees and 42 residents still had COVID-19 on Dec. 31. Unfortunately, two additional residents were reported on Dec. 31 to have died from COVID-19.
One resident at Carriage House Manor was reported to have recovered from COVID-19, leaving eight active cases on New Year’s Eve, the most recent data available from HHS about nursing facilities COVID-19 counts.
Sunny Springs Nursing and Rehab continued to have one active employee COVID-19 case on Dec. 31.
