Montgomery County COVID-19 total case count increases to over 34,000; active case count decreases by 1,500

Montgomery County's COVID-19 case count continues to rise, with the number of total cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations rising daily, according to data from the Montgomery County Public Health District and Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council.

The county's active case count has decreased slightly, according to the health district. The total number of active cases has dropped to 7,402 since the previous report, Jan. 15. As of Jan. 19, around 20% of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Montgomery County were active.

Cumulatively, 34,423 COVID-19 cases have been recorded among county residents since last March. Around 521 recoveries were reported Jan. 19, bringing the total number of confirmed clinical recoveries in the county to 17,007, or 49.41% of all cases.

No new deaths were reported from the health district since Jan. 15. The county's cumulative fatalities related to the disease is at 195 as of Jan. 19. The status of 9,819 cases—28.52% of the cumulative count—remains unknown, and they are now considered inactive, which means that the health district was unable to contact those individuals within 30 days of their case reports.

COVID-19 hospitalizations among county residents has slightly decreased with a total of 77 residents confirmed to be in the hospital due to the disease as of Jan. 19, according to the health district. Total COVID-19 hospitalizations in county facilities—regardless of patients' residence—slightly decreased Jan. 19 as well, with 262 general beds occupied by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, according to SETRAC data. Countywide ICU usage for COVID-19 patients reached 72 occupied beds.

Overall hospital capacity in Montgomery County remains below operational limits despite the jump in COVID-19 hospitalizations, with 997 of 1,275 general beds in use as of Jan. 19, according to SETRAC. ICU capacity has tracked more closely to the county's upper operational limit of 174 beds this month, although that limit has yet to be surpassed.