As of Aug. 23, Harris County has seen the spread of the coronavirus on the downturn for 14 consecutive days, according to data from the Texas Medical Center.
TMC officials have been tracking what they call the effective reproduction rate of the virus, a metric that tracks how many additional people each person infects after they contract the virus. A rate of less than 1 means the spread of the virus is slowing, and Harris County has now seen rate of less than 1 for two weeks, according to the TMC.
The effective reproduction rate is one of three metrics TMC officials have identified to determine whether the community has control over the spread of the coronavirus. The other two metrics—new cases per day and testing positivity rate—are still above levels deemed to constitute community control, though testing positivity has been falling.
A total of 784 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths caused by the virus were confirmed in Harris County on Aug. 24. The case total in the county now stands at 99,290, with 25,752 active cases, 72,326 recovered cases and 1,210 deaths.
