Texas Department of State Health Services Dec. 4 COVID-19 dashboard showed a huge change in the number of new cases reported on Thursday than the 44 reported for Hopkins County Dec. 3 as well as two recoveries. DSHS also announced the 56th COVID-19 fatality, while Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management’s Dec. 4 COVID-19 update showed a rise in patients counts Friday in the COVID-19 Unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs.
Hopkins County COVID-19 Case Counts
A total of five lab-confirmed COVID-19 positive cases were added to Hopkins County’s case counts on Friday. However, DSHS only four were among the 13,581 new Texas COVID-19 cases reported on Dec. 4. One Hopkins County case was noted to be among 263 older cases recently reported the DSHS by labs.
That’s 66 cases reported in the last seven days that had not previously been reported for Hopkins County, including 61 reported during the first week four days of December. That makes 893 Hopkins County residents who have received positive COVID-19 results from molecular testing since March, and gives the county a 2.41 positivity rate.
Two additional Hopkins County residents, according to DSHS’ Dec. 4 COVID-19 update, were reported to have recovered from COVID-19 on Friday. The 82 recoveries reported by DSHS so far this month are the same number of recoveries reported during the entire month of November. Of course, recoveries were only logged for Hopkins County on three days during November: 19 on Nov. 2, 21 on Nov. 6 and 42 on Nov. 9. For the 22-day period from Nov. 10-Dec. 1, no Hopkins County COVID-19 recoveries were reported. Cumulatively, 776 of the 893 Hopkins County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 since March had recovered from the virus as of Dec. 4.
The active case count in Hopkins County was slightly lower Dec. 4, dropping from 63 on Thursday to 61 active cases on Friday. That’s still the second lowest number of active cases in Hopkins County since Nov. 24. There were only 19 active COVID-19 cases on Dec. 2, the day 80 recoveries were reported. The active case count rose with the addition of 44 new cases on Thursday to 63.
Free COVID-19 Testing
On Thursday, 99 molecular COVID-19 tests were performed at the free testing site on Jefferson Street, 15 than on Wednesday. Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials in the Dec. 4 COVID-19 update reported 4,832 tests have been conducted at 128-A Jefferson Street since the site opened on Sept. 25, ncluding 451 tests performed this week.
Free testing continues to be offered inside the Red Cross building (former Fidelity Express building) weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in December. Testing is available for anyone, but registration must be completed by an adult age 18 or older in advance online at www.GoGetTested.com to schedule the oral COVID swab.
Those testing should bring the number with the QR code sent sent upon completion of registration along with a photo ID to 128-A Jefferson St. at the designated time. This is not a drive-through location. The COVID-19 test will be performed inside the building.
COVID-19 Fatalities
The COVID-19 fatality count for Hopkins County totaled 56 on Dec. 4, according to the DSHS Dec. 4 COVID-19 Case Counts Fatalities dashboard. That means 2 additional Hopkins County residents have died from COVID-19. While that’s only 0.15 percent of the total county population who have died as a result of COVID-19, that’s also a 6.27 percent death rate among the 893 who have tested COVID-19 positive since March.
COVID-19 deaths are determined when COVID-19 is listed as the cause on death certificates. DSHS is notified of COVID-19 deaths after death certificates are filed with the state’s vital statistics office. Thus, COVID-19 fatalities are typically announced 1-3 weeks after the person has died.
The two COVID deaths reported on Dec. 4 both occurred last month, one on Nov. 19 and the other on Nov. 23, according to the DSHS Dec. 4 COVID-19 Fatalities over Time by County report. Overall, nine Hopkins County residents have been confirmed to have died in November. Combined with the 28 COVID-19 deaths confirmed in October, 11 in September, 6 in August and two deaths in July, that makes 56 Hopkins County residents who have died as a result of COVID-19 as of Dec. 4.
Six additional COVID-19 deaths were reported in Lamar County in the DSHS Dec. 4 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboards, increasing the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in that county and the fatality rate among the 2,787 positive COVID-19 cases to 2.69. Lamar County’s positivity rate on Dec. 4 was 5.59 percent.
Hunt County, where the positivity rate is 2.92 percent, has also had not only more COVID-19 cases but more deaths as well. Hunt County on Dec. 4 was reported in the DSHS Dec. 4 COVID-19 dashboard to have a cumulative case count of 2,881 ( a 2.92 percent positivity rate) and 62 deaths (2.15 percent death rate of COVID positive Hunt County residents).
While Wood County has had more residents test positive (934) for COVID-19, they’ve had 3 fewer deaths than Hopkins County, which gives the county a 5.67 death rate among COVID positive individuals.
In Titus County, 1,828 residents have tested positive for COVID-19, 41 of whom have died from the virus. So while the county’s overall positivity rate is 5.58 percent, the death percent among positive cases is 2.24 percent.
Red River County has had 234 positive cases and 18 deaths, for a total positivity rate of 1.95 but a fatality rate o9 f 7.6among positive cases.
Hospital Reports
After three days of continued reductions, Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management’s Dec. 4 COVID-19 update showed a rise in the patient count Friday in the COVID-19 Unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs. The COVID unit had 23 patients Friday, the same as on Dec. 1. That department at the hospital had declined from 25 on Monday to 23 Tuesday, 21 Wednesday and 20 Thursday. Nov. 25 was the last time the CMFHSS COVID unit had less than 20 patients. The unit has opened more beds over the last few weeks, so that if necessary, the unit could serve up to 35 COVID patients, HC/SSEM official reported in November.
The percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations out of capacity of all facilities in Trauma Service Area F, which includes Hopkins County and CMFHSS, was below the 15 percent threshold for the second day in a row. These numbers were monitored TSAF exceeded the threshold for 5 consecutive days, peaking at 16. 4 percent on Dec. 1.
TSA F had 146 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients in hospitals as well as 1,075 total staffed beds, 352 available hospital beds, six available ICU beds, 61 available ventilators, 632 total hospitalizations and 984 total staffed inpatient beds on Dec. 4, according to the DSHS Dec. 4 COVID-19 Test and Hospital Data dashboard.
