“We think we have turned the corner a little bit,” Richardson said during a Feb. 1 county commissioners meeting.
In the first week of the new year, about 8,000 cases were reported and the next week about 12,000 cases were reported, Richardson said. During the week of Jan. 10-15, about 13,500 cases were reported. That number has since decreased to under 10,000 cases during the week of Jan. 16-22.
“We’ve had a sharp decline and that is something to be celebrated,” he said.
As general case counts have decreased so have pediatric cases. Cases among those ages 12-19 had a big decrease, Richardson said.
The county has also seen a decrease in the positivity rate. That rate has been over 30% but has now dropped under 30%, and it continues to drop every day, Richardson said. This means fewer tests are coming back positive.
Hospitalizations have decreased slightly, though it is a lagging indicator, he said. Denton County hospitals had 236 reported patients earlier this month and it is now under 220.
“Every day that gets a little better,” Richardson said.
