This interview was recorded Wednesday, Sept. 1, at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex.
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This week, Judge Wade McKinney provides a COVID-19 update and talks about the start of redistricting.
I. COVID Numbers (:50)
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Henderson County's region (TSA-G) keep going up, with 776 COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the time of this interview. The region sets a new record for the most hospitalized nearly every day.
** Texas separates the state into 22 regions called Trauma Service Areas, or TSAs, for hospital data. Henderson County's region is designated TSA-G and includes Tyler/Longview. TSA-G includes about 960,000 people.
Locally, the Athens hospital has been averaging between 50 and 60 COVID-19 patients.
Additionally, the number of COVID-19 fatalities is rising with Henderson County seeing at least one death in six of the last seven days. According to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), there were 16 COVID-19 deaths in Henderson County in August.
There is some good news, according to Judge McKinney, who tracks the statistics daily. He said the increase in cases seems to be slowing.
"That's what had us so concerned in the beginning during this spike, was that rate of increase was so drastic," he said.
But now that rate of increase is slowing.
"When you see a slowing of that increase, it gives you some indication that maybe a plateau is coming," Judge McKinney said.
The number of people getting vaccinated also continues to climb, according to the Judge.
"Over the last five weeks, we have averaged at or above 1,000 doses a week being administered," he said.
During the interview, Judge McKinney also talked about Commissioners Court approving a plan that would provide payments from American Rescue Plan Act funds to flow from the County, through the Hospital Authority, to UT Health East Texas - Athens. You can read more about that program below.
IV. Redistricting (26:20)
Henderson County has a new population, according to the 2020 Census. Judge McKinney said that number is 82,150.
He said the new numbers do show that Henderson County will have to redraw county precincts to balance the population.
"We should have our initial documents in the next week to 10 days, which will set the stage for us to start the redistricting process," Judge McKinney said.
