Another COVID-19 fatality was reported for Hopkins County on Thursday, along with five new COVID-19 cases and an increase in the patient count in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs, according to the Dec. 10 Texas Department of State Health Services COVID-19 dashboard and Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials’ Dec. 10 COVID-19 update.
Dec. 10 COVID-19 Case Counts
Recoveries continues to outpace new cases this month, despite the fact that there were no new recoveries reported Thursday. In fact, in only four of the first 10 days of December have recoveries been reported: 80 on Dec. 2, two each on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, and 32 on Dec. 9.
A total of 104 new COVID-19 cases have been reported for Hopkins County so far this month, which is 12 fewer new cases than recoveries reported this month, including 23 this week.
The 104 new cases for the first 10 days of the month is still ahead of the pace for the first 10 days of November when 10 new cases were reported and October when only 51 cases had been reported through Oct. 10.
Because there were no new recoveries Thursday to offset the new cases, the active case count rose to 66 on Dec. 10. That’s 66 Hopkins County residents who have been lab-confirmed via molecular tests and currently have the virus.
Hospital Reports
Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials in the Dec. 10 COVID-19 update reported the patient count in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs is 23 for the third day this week and the fifth time this month. (CMFHSS patient counts are only reported by HC/SSEM on weekdays). The patient count in the COVID unit has not been higher so far this month and has only been lower on three days in December: 21 patients on Dec. 2, 20 patients on Dec. 3 and 22 patients on Dec. 9. The last time the patient count in the COVID unit was below 20 was on Nov. 25, when 19 were reported.
COVID-19 hospitalizations increased from 157 to 166 on Thursday, although total hospitalizations declined from 621 on Wednesday to 604 on Thursday. Overall, COVID-19 hospitalization account for 15.36 percent of the total hospital capacity in Trauma Service Area F which includes most of Northeast Texas, including Hopkins County and CMFHSS. This follows a week in which COVID-19 hospitalization remained below the 15 percent threshold.
Also on Dec. 10, TSA F had 1,081 total staffed hospital beds, six less than on Wednesday, and 990 total staffed inpatient beds, 14 less.
Only five ICU beds were available in TSA F on Thursday, one less than on Wednesday, but two more than on Tuesday and one more than on Monday. The number of available ventilators throughout TSA F decreased by six to 64 on Thursday, the same as on Tuesday, but one more than on Monday, and three less than on Sunday. On Thursday, there were 386 available hospital beds in Area F, three more than on Wednesday, but nine less than on Tuesday and 12 less than on Monday; the least number of available beds this week in Area F hospitals wsa 352 on Dec. 4.
Hospital Category Dec. 7 Dec. 8 Dec. 9 Dec. 10 Total Staffed Hospital Beds 1078 1072 1095 1081 Available Hospital Beds 398 395 383 386 Available ICU Beds 4 3 6 5 Available Ventilators 63 64 70 64 Lab-Confirmed COVID-19 Patients in Hospital 152 157 157 166 Total Hospitalizations 589 586 621 604 Total Staffed Inpatient Beds 987 981 1004 990 Percent Capacity 14.1 14.85 14.34 15.36
Testing
On Wednesday, Dec. 9, personnel at the free testing site at 128-A Jefferson St. performed 99 COVID-19 tests. That’s 380 tests conducted at the site in the last week and 681 in December. Since the Red Cross Building opened Sept. 25 as a testing center 5,212 molecular tests have been performed there.
Free molecular COVID-19 testing continues to be offered Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the end of 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 to them upon completion of registration and a photo ID to 128-A Jefferson St. at their designated time. This is not a drive-through location. The COVID-19 test will be performed inside the building.
Testers will be asked if they have consumed anything by mouth in the 15-20 minutes prior to arrival. Those who have will be required to wait the requisite time before testing to better ensure a more accurate result.
The Local Health Authority nurse recommends people getting the oral molecular swab test from the free state testing site refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, vaping, chewing gum or brushing their teeth for at least an hour prior to the test. Doing so, she reports, will make a difference in the outcome of the test.
COVID-19 Fatalities
The DSHS Dec. 10 COVID-19 Case Count Fatalities by County of Residence dashboard showed a 60th COVID-19 death has been confirmed for Hopkins County. The resident was confirmed by death certificate to have died from COVID-19 on Dec. 2. At only 10 days in, two Hopkins County residents have been confirmed to have died this month from COVID-19. The first COVID-19 death, announced Wednesday, occurred on Dec. 1.
That increases the fatality rate from 6.34 percent to 6.41 percent of Hopkins County residents who have tested COVID-19 positive since March, and 0.16 percent of the overall population. The latter is the higher than the other eight counties immediately surrounding Hopkins County.
One additional COVID-19 fatality each was also confirmed for Rains County and Titus County, and two each for Wood and Hunt counties. That makes 10 fatalities for Rains County, 42 for Titus County, 56 for Wood County and 67 fatalities for Hunt County.
Red River County’s fatality rate among COVID-19 positive residents continues to be the highest at 7.2 percent among the 9 county area; 18 of the 250 Red River County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 since March have died from the virus.
Hunt County has had 2,961 residents test positive for COVID-19 since March, the most in the 9-county region, including 67 residents who died from COVID-19.
In Titus County, 42 of the 1,890 residents who have tested positive have died. Titus County’s 2.22 percent fatality rate among infected is lower than even Delta County’s 3.03 percent, even though the county has had only 2 COVID-19 deaths. Delta County has the smallest overall population, estimated at 5,331 in 2019, has had the fewest number of positive cases, 66, and fewest number of fatalities.
