State and local COVID-19 reports on Jan. 4 COVID-19 showed more than twice as many new Hopkins County cases as recoveries over the last four days, and not only an increase in cases at Sulphur Springs nursing homes but also one additional resident fatality during the most recent reporting period. Continued high hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients in Trauma Service Area F for the ninth consecutive day also ensure at least another week of reduced capacity at area businesses and restaurants.
Jan. 4 COVID-19 Case Counts
While Texas Department of State Health Services’ Jan. 4 COVID-19 Texas Case Counts dashboard showed only 10 new COVID-19 cases on Monday for Hopkins County, there were 77 new cases over the holiday weekend but only 42 patient recoveries.
A total of 45 new confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported so far this month: one each on Jan. 1 and Jan. 4, eight on Jan. 2 and 35 on Jan. 3. That’s more new cases confirmed by molecular testing during the first four days of January than during any other month of the pandemic except December. Sixty-one Hopkins County residents had received positive molecular COVID-19 results during the first four days of December: one of Dec. 1, 11 on Dec. 2, 44 on Dec. 3 and five on Dec. 4. Since March, 1,167 Hopkins County residents have received lab-confirmed COVID-19 results.
Hopkins County COVID-19 Counts 12/28 12/29 12/30 12/31 1/1 1/2 1/3 1/4 New Confirmed (Molecular) Cases 0 47 3 -4 1 8 35 1 Cumulative Confirmed Case Total 1,076 1,123 1,126 1,122 1,123 1131 1,166 1,167 New probable Cases 0 7 5 1 21 10 2 9 Cumulative Probable Case Total 1,103 1,111 1,116 1,117 1,138 1148 1,150 1,159 Active Cases 111 129 125 115 138 113 150 161 Total Recoveries 1,999 2,036 2047 2,053 2,053 2,053 2,095 2,095 Total Fatalities 69 69 70 70 70 70 70 70 CMFH COVID Unit Patient Count 23 24 30 26 – – – 29
There also have been 42 new probable cases reported for Hopkins County so far in 2021: 21 on Jan. 1, 10 Jan. 2, two on Jan. 3 and nine on Jan. 4. Overall, that’s 87 new COVID-19 cases reported so far this month for Hopkins County. Since the state began tracking probable cases, Hopkins County has had 1,159 probable cases. DSHS and the CDC define a probable case as one in which 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.
While there were no new recoveries reported on either Friday or Monday, 42 Hopkins County residents were reported to have recovered from COVID-19, either from a confirmed or probable case. Since March, 2,095 of the 2,326 cumulative COVID-19 cases (confirmed and probable combined) have recovered, according to the DSHS Jan. 4 COVID-19 Texas Case Counts dashboard. That’s 6.27 percent of Hopkins County population who have had COVID-19 as of Jan. 4.
No additional COVID-19 fatalities have been assigned to Hopkins County by DSHS in the overall Case Counts dashboard, so the total number of residents DSHS reports have been confirmed by death certificate to have died from COVID-19 remains 70. That’s a death rate of 3.01 percent among Hopkins County residents who have had COVID-19.
COVID-19 Testing
Another 229 people were tested at the free testing site in Sulphur Springs during the Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 testing hours. That’s 7,197 tests performed since Sept. 25 through Jan. 2 at 128-A Jefferson Street. Testing will continue to be offered free 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.
Cumulatively, since the pandemic began in March in Hopkins County, 11,924 viral or molecular tests have been conducted, including 386 conducted so far this month. This number includes all molecular testing conducted for Hopkins County that had been reported to DSHS Monday afternoon, Jan. 4, 2021. A total of 1,163 antigen tests and 1,588 antibody tests have also been recorded for Hopkins County, including 44 antigen and six antibody tests performed since Dec. 31, according to the DSHS Jan. 4 COVID-19 Test and Hospital Data dashboard.
Hospital Reports
Monday, Jan. 4, was the ninth consecutive day of “high hospitalizations” in Trauma Service Area F. On Jan. 2, the seventh consecutive day in which COVID-19 hospitalizations accounted for 15 percent or more of the total capacity of all hospitals in TSA F, businesses and restaurants in Hopkins and four other counties in Northeast Texas that had been open at 75 percent capacity since at least October were required to scale back to 50 percent capacity, according to GA-32. Trauma Service Area F has to remain under that 15 percent threshold for seven consecutive days before businesses can resume operating at 75 percent.
TSA F set a new record for highest percentage of COVID-19 patients on Jan. 4, increasing from 19.48 percent on Jan. 3, according to the DSHS Jan. 4 COVID-19 Test and Hospital Data dashboard. That doesn’t mean that’s the most COVID-19 patients reported in a single day in TSA-F. Just that the percent of COVID-19 patients accounts for the highest percent of the total hospital capacity, which is simply the total number of staffed available and occupied beds in the TSA. Total capacity includes pediatric and adult, general and ICU beds, inpatient and outpatient beds, emergency department beds, and telemetry and psychiatric beds.
On Monday, there were 207 COVID-19 hospital patients, one less than on Sunday and nine less than on Friday, but three more than on Sunday, 16 more than on Thursday, Dec. 31 and 29 more than just one week ago on Dec. 28 in TSA F. Twenty-nine of the COVID patients in Trauma Service Area F were reported to be in the COVID unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs on Jan. 4, which is three more than on Dec. 31 but one less than on Dec. 30; CMFH-SS is equipped to have up to 35 COVID-19 patients at a time.
On Jan. 4 there were 1,056 total staffed hospital beds in TSA F, 12 less than on Jan. 3 and 39 less than on Jan. 2, but 21 more than on Jan. 1 and 36 more than on Dec. 31. There were 964 total staffed inpatient beds on Jan. 4, 12 less than on Jan. 3, 27 less than on Jan. 2, 79 less than on Jan. 1 and 64 less than on Dec. 31.
Jan. 4 was also the second consecutive day that only 1 ICU bed was available in Trauma Service Area F, that’s three less than on Jan. 2 and Dec. 31 and four less than on Jan. 1, but 25 less than on Dec. 27.
Across the area, 351 hospital beds were available on Monday, 15 more than on Sunday, and 25 more than on Jan. 1. Sixty-four ventilators were available on Jan. 4, one more than on Sunday, but two less than on Jan. 1, eight less than on Dec. 31 and 15 less than on Dec. 29.
Trauma Service Area F 12/31/20 1/1/21 1/2/21 1/3/21 1/4/21 Total Staffed Hospital Beds 1120 1,135 1095 1,068 1,056 Available Hospital Beds 332 326 343 336 351 Available ICU Beds 4 5 4 1 1 Available Ventilators 72 66 – 63 64 Lab-Confirmed COVID-19 Patients in Hospital 191 216 204 208 207 Total Hospitalizations 696 717 660 640 613 Total Staffed Inpatient Beds 1028 1,043 1003 976 964 Percent Capacity 17.05 19.03 18.63 19.48 19.6
Nursing Home Reports
The number of COVID-19 cases at local nursing homes has continued to rise. Two new employee and five new resident cases were reported from Dec. 17 to Dec. 21, according to the latest Health and Human Services nursing facility reports. One additional resident fatality was also reported Dec. 21, according to the Jan. 4 report.
On Dec. 18, one additional employee at Rock Creek Health and Rehab and three residents of Carriage House Manor had tested positive for COVID-19, and two Carriage House Manor residents recovered from the virus.
On Dec. 21, one employee had recovered, another employee tested positive and one resident of Carriage House had died from the virus, giving the facility a total of five active employee cases and 11 active resident cases, according to the HHS Jan. 4 COVID-19 nursing facility report. Three additional residents of Rock Creek had tested positive for the virus on Dec. 21, giving the facility a total of 19 active employee and 40 active resident cases. Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab reported three employees still had COVID-19 on Dec. 21.
