Another Hopkins County resident was confirmed Nov. 18 to have died from COVID-19. according to Texas Department of State Health Services. Three additional new cases were also reported by Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials in the Nov. 18 COVID-19 update.
HC/SSEM Nov. 18 COVID-19 Update
The HC/SSEM officials reported three additional Hopkins County residents have received lab-confirmed positive molecular COVID-19 tests. That’s 18 new cases this week, 85 so far this month and 769 cumulative cases since March. That’s 2.07 percent of the county’s estimated 37,084 population who have tested positive for COVID-19 since March.
No additional recoveries were reported in the Nov. 18 COVID-19 update. So, the count remains at 82 Hopkins County residents who were confirmed to have recovered from COVID-19 this month. Cumulatively, that’s 622 recoveries since March.
With no recoveries to offset the rise in COVID-19 cases, that means the active case count also increased by 3 on Nov. 18, for a total of 147 active COVID-19 cases among Hopkins County residents who have received positive molecular COVID-19 tests results, according to the Nov. 18 COVID-19 update.
HC/SSEM officials showed 96 additional molecular COVID-19 tests performed at 128-A Jefferson Street on Tuesday, Nov. 17. That’s 360 oral swab tests performed at the location in the last 7 days, 1,257 so far this month and 3,653 since the Sulphur Springs testing site opened on Sept. 25.
Molecular testing will continue to be offered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays in November. Register online at www.GoGetTested.com for the oral swab test.
Sulphur Springs ISD COVID-19 Notifications
Sulphur Springs Independent School District Wednesday evening, Nov. 18, sent to parents, students and employees on five district campuses notifications of 12 students and 3 staff members who have received positive COVID-19 results; these individuals have been on the school campus in the last week.
New cases reported Nov. 18 are as follows:
- Sulphur Springs Elementary – 2 staff and 1 student
- Sulphur Springs High School – 2 students, 1 staff
- Sulphur Springs Middle School – 6 students
- Barbara Bush Primary – 2 students
- Lamar Primary – 1 student
Hospital Update
For the third time this month, the patient count in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs has risen to 17, the fullest its been since HC/SSEM began reporting the hospital data in August.
That reflects a fairly steady increase in the number COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state over the last 1 1/2 month, from 3,190 (on Oct. 1 to 7,958 (12.04 percent of the total hospital capacity) on Nov. 18. That’s out of 60,587 staffed inpatient hospital beds in Texas. That left available in hospitals across the state 866 ICU beds, 7,457 ventilators and 11,350 hospital beds.
In Trauma Service Area F, which includes Hopkins County, there were 9 available ICU beds, two fewer than on Tuesday; 74 available ventilators, 1 less on Nov. 18; 138 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients currently in hospitals, 1 less; 620 total hospitalizations, 18 more; 984 total staffed inpatient beds, 18 more than on Tuesday; 1,075 staffed hospital beds, 18 more; and continued to be 364 available hospital beds.Trauma Service Area F Categories Nov. 17, 2020 Counts Nov. 18, 2020 Counts Population Estimate 2020 273,329 273,329 Total Staffed Hospital Beds 1,057 1,075 Available Hospital Beds 364 364 Available ICU Beds 11 9 Available Ventilators 75 74 Lab-Confirmed COVID-19 Patients in Hospital 139 138 Total Hospitalizations 602 620 Total Staffed Inpatient Beds 966 984
DSHS County Fatality & Case Reports
A 49th COVID-19 fatality was reported by DSHS in the Nov. 18 COVID-19 “Fatalities by County of Residence” dashboard, that’s one more death than was reported over the past five days.
The date of the latest Hopkins County resident reported to have death from COVID-19 had not been released by DSHS at 8 p.m. Nov. 18. As of Nov. 17, only one Hopkins County resident was confirmed to have died from the virus in November. There were 28 Hopkins County residents whose death according to their death certificates was COVID-19, 11 in September, 6 deaths in August and 2 in July.
Although the 49 COVID-19 deaths represent only 0.13 percent of Hopkins County’s population, the fatality rate among the residents who have tested COVID-19 positive since March is 6.37 percent.
Hunt and Lamar are the only two surrounding counties with more COVID-19 deaths than Hopkins County.County Total Positive COVID-19 Cases COVID-19 Fatalities Hopkins 769 49 Titus 1,723 38 Hunt 2,515 54 Lamar 2,385 65 Franklin 242 10 Delta 45 0 Red River 213 18 Wood 817 46 Rains 141 6
In Hunt County, 2.55 percent of the population(2,515 of the county’s 98,594 residents) had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Nov. 18, including 54 who have died of COVID-19 (2.15 percent of the COVID-19 positive residents.
In Lamar County, 2,385 (4.79 percent) of the 49,859 population have tested positive for COVID-19, including 65 residents who died of COVID-19. That’s a 2.73 percent fatality rate among Lamar County residents who have tested positive for the virus.
The only area county with no COVID-19 deaths is Delta, where only 45 of the 5,331 residents (0.84 percent) have tested positive for COVID-19. Six of the 141 Rains County residents who have tested positive of COVID-19 have died. That’s a fatality rate of 4.26 percent for Rains County residents who have tested positive for the virus, according to DSHS reports.
While both Titus County and Wood County have both had more COVID-19 cases, both have had fewer fatalities from the virus.
Titus County has had 1,723 of the 32,750 residents test positive for COVID-19 (5.26 percent), including 38 who died from COVID-19 (2.21 percent of positive cases).
Wood County, which has an estimated population of 45,539, has had 817 residents (1.79 percent) who received positive COVID results, including 46 who died from COVID-19. That’s 5.36 percent of positive Wood County residents dying from COVID-19 in Wood County.
The local county with the highest fatality percentage among COVID-19 residents is Red River County. The county has had 213 of the 12,023 population test positive for novel coronavirus 2019 (1.77 percent), but has reported 18 deaths, giving Red River County a fatality percentage of 8.45 percent, according to DSHS data.
HHS Nursing and Assisted Living, Child Care Center Counts
Texas Health and Human Services made a correction to the case numbers for Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab.
Monday, HHS reported 5 resident COVID-19 deaths at Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab as of Nov. 2. On Tuesday, HHS reported 27 resident recoveries, 13 active resident cases and 54 cumulative resident cases at SSHR as of Nov. 3. On Wednesday, however, HHS reported there have only been 4 resident deaths at SSHR, 26 resident recoveries, 14 active resident cases and 53 cumulative resident cases as of Nov. 4.
Ten active COVID-19 cases were also reported among Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab employees on Nov. 4, according to the HHS nursing facility report.
The Nov. 18 HHS nursing facility report showed both Carriage House Manor and Rock Creek Health and Rehab to have one active resident COVID-19 case each on Nov. 4, the most recent data available from HHS.
There were no active COVID-19 cases reported in assisted living facilities on on Nov. 4 and licensed child are centers, school-age programs, and before and -after-school programs Nov. 17 in Hopkins County, according to HHS reports.
