A total of 1,366 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Harris County over the Oct. 24-25 weekend, including 910 new cases in the city of Houston and 456 new cases in Harris County outside of the city.
The number of new cases confirmed over the week of Oct. 18-24 was 4,424, which was up from the previous two weeks, both of which saw about 3,300 new cases each.
The testing positivity rate has also started to rise in Harris County after falling to its lowest point in early October since the data started being tracked. The 14-day average for testing positivity hit 7.2% as of the most recent data Oct. 17, according to the Harris County Public Health Department. That number was up from a low point of 5.6% on Oct. 4 and in line with rates from around mid-September.
Public health officials in Harris County have previously said they want to see the positivity rate stay below 5% to demonstrate community control of the virus. The 14-day average hit a high point of more than 20% in early July in Harris County and had been trending downward until the uptick began in early October. Meanwhile, the testing positivity rate remains below 5% among Texas Medical Center hospitals, where officials are tracking their own data.
