Texas Department of State Health Services Jan. 20 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard showed one additional COVID-19 fatality, 12 new cases and an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations across the region, although Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials reported not change in the patient count in the hospital COVID unit on Wednesday.
Case Counts
DSHS reported 87 confirmed COVID-19 fatalities for Hopkins County, which means for the fifth time in the last seven days another Hopkins County resident has been confirmed to have died from novel coronavirus 2019. The latest death is reported to have occurred on Dec. 31, the third COVID-19 fatality on New Year’s Eve 2020, increasing the total number of Hopkins County COVID-19 deaths in December to 24. Five COVID-19 deaths have also been reported in January, two each on Jan. 2 and Jan. 5 and one death on Jan. 3, according to the Jan. 19 COVID-19 Fatalities over Time by County report.
DSHS’s Jan. 19 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard also showed a total of 1,308 lab-confirmed confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,222 cumulative probable cases, that is those of people who have either tested positive for COVID-19 through an antigen test or have a combination of symptoms and a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 without a more likely diagnosis.
That means a dozen new COVID-19 cases were reported for Hopkins County on Jan. 20. The three additional confirmed cases and nine new probable cases reported Wednesday increase the confirmed case count this week to 12 and the probable case count this week to 10. This month, 186 Hopkins County residents have received positive molecular COVID-19 tests results and 105 additional probable cases were reported for Hopkins County.
Although 240 Hopkins County residents have recovered from COVID-19 this month, there have been no new recoveries in three days. However, 130 recoveries were reported over the weekend, 80 on Friday and 50 on Saturday. Nonetheless, 2,293 of the 2,530 Hopkins County residents who’ve had COVID-19 have recovered.
That leaves 150 Hopkins County residents who still have active cases, 11 more than were reported on Monday, 15 more than on Sunday and 20 more than on Saturday, but still 21 fewer active cases than on Friday and 85 less than were reported last Friday, according to the DSHS data.
Hospital Data
HC/SSEM officials reported 26 patients in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs on Jan. 20, the same as on Jan. 19 and Dec. 31 and 14.
The COVID-19 patient count in Trauma Service Area F increased from 210 on Monday to 236 on Tuesday, which is 10 more than on Sunday and four more than on Saturday, but still less than the 241 reported on Jan. 11.
The overall patient count also increased from 1,011 on Monday to 1,056 on Tuesday, which is still 12 less than on Jan. 15 and 79 less than on Dec. 29. A total of 964 inpatient beds were staffed, 45 more than on Monday, but still 124 less than on Dec. 31. TSA-F had 605 hospitalizations on Tuesday, eight more than on Monday but 20 less than on Sunday, 53 less than on Jan. 14 and 112 less than on Dec. 31.
Eleven ICU beds were available, the same as on Jan. 14, three more than on Jan. 19 and 10 more than on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, but one less than on Jan. 13 and 19 less than on Dec. 26, according to the DSHS Test and Hospital data dashboard. Thirty-seven more beds overall were available on Tuesday than on Monday. A total of 73 ventilators were available across TSA-F on Tuesday, one more than on Monday, but still four less than on Jan. 12.
COVID-19 hospitalizations as a result accounted for 22.35 percent of the total hospital capacity in TSA-F on Tuesday, up from 20.77 on Monday, but still less than the 23. 42 reported on Jan. 11. The area remains under GA-32 restrictions, business capacities reduced from 75 to 50 percent and elective surgeries on hold, due to high hospitalizations since Dec. 26. The area must remain at 15 percent or less for seven consecutive days
Testing Data
HC/SSEM officials also reported a total of 8,344 COVID-19 tests have been conducted at 128-A Jefferson Street since the Red Cross building was converted in September to a free COVID-19 testing center, which means 83 additional COVID-19 tests were conducted at the facility on Tuesday, 410 in the last seven days and 1,376 COVID-19 tests have been conducted this month at the facility.
Cumulatively since March, 13,204 molecular COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Hopkins County. Another six antigen tests were conducted in Hopkins County on Tuesday, increasing the cumulative total since the state began tracking the data to 1,488. No antibody tests were conducted on Tuesday, so the total remains 1,751. All together, that makes 16,443 COVID-19 tests conducted in Hopkins County that have been 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.
COVID-19 Vaccine
A total of 1,324 COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Hopkins County as of 11:59 p.m. Jan. 19, that’s 111 doses administered Tuesday. Cumulatively, 1,178 people had received the first dose of the vaccine and 146 had received both doses of the vaccine. That’s 82 additional people who received the first dose of the vaccine and 29 additional people who were fully vaccinated on Tuesday.
In Hopkins County, CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic vaccinated people on Wednesday and will administer the remainder of the 700 doses of the vaccine on Saturday. Registration is exclusively through the chatbot on the www.christushealth.org website. All of the available appointments for the first 2-3 hours of vaccine administration for Wednesday filled in less than 30 minutes of the registration opening being announced on Tuesday afternoon.
For addition information about the COVID-19 Vaccine click here or the link on the DSHS COVID-19 page, https://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/
Click the Available COVID-19 Vaccines in Texas link, to view information about providers allocated vaccines, including maps with contact information.
Click the Vaccine Data link for information about COVID-19 vaccine allocation, and demographics on vaccinations by state and county breakdown.
Nursing Home Reports
Two fewer active resident COVID-19 cases and seven less active resident cases, 10 additional resident recoveries and one additional resident death were reported at Sulphur Springs nursing homes on Jan. 4 than on Dec. 31, and three additional resident recoveries were reported on Jan. 6, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Jan. 19 COVID-19 nursing facility report.
A 10th resident COVID-19 fatality was reported for Rock Creek Health and Rehab on Jan. 4. On Jan. 6, the facility had five active employee and 40 active resident cases, and a total of 29 employee and 31 resident cases.
Neither Carriage House Manor nor Sunny Springs Health & Rehab had any active COVID-1 cases on Jan. 6.
Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab had one active employee case on Jan. 6, according to the HHS Nov. 19 nursing facility report.
