After starting the month at 32,859 confirmed cases, the case count in Harris County has more than doubled over the course of July. Testing also increased in July, with a total of 187,890 tests conducted in Harris County so far this month, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. By comparison, 138,470 were conducted in June. A total of 495,954 tests have been conducted in the county since the start of the pandemic, according to DSHS.
At a July 28 Harris County Commissioners Court meeting, Judge Lina Hidalgo identified issues with reading too much into the positivity rate, saying that it is influenced by the type of people choosing to get testing. When testing demand is high, people who are positive are more likely to be getting tested, and when demand is low, positive cases are being missed, she said.
"You have to take it with a grain of salt regardless of whichever way it is," she said. "It’s hard because you can’t force someone to get a test."
Hidalgo said the county is looking into ways to get a more random sample from the community, which she said would provide a more valid number. More details could be presented at a future court meeting in August.
