Rural East Texas hospitals dealing with impacts of COVID-19 Sabine County Hospital Administrator Jerry Howell says they starting to see more COVID-19 patients. Rural East Texas hospitals dealing with impacts of COVID-19 By Jeremy Thomas | December 30, 2020 at 6:30 PM CST - Updated December 31 at 2:16 AM SABINE COUNTY, Texas (KTRE) - COVID-19 continues to impact East Texas hospitals, including rising numbers in rural areas. As of Wednesday, the Jasper-Newton County Public Health District says Sabine County has 61 active cases, that includes lab confirmed, rapid and probable cases, with 14 deaths and 341 recoveries. Officials at the Sabine County Hospital in Hemphill say through Monday, their positivity rate of those tested at the facility in the month of December was 34 percent. They say that’s more than doubled since November.