Meanwhile, the city of Houston’s average wastewater viral load was 322% baseline as of Aug. 23—or 3.22 times higher than the COVID-19 viral count of July 2020—a 19.25% decrease from the previous week’s baseline.
During the week of Aug. 17-23, there was an average of 85.65 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Harris County each day. New cases trended downward at a rate of 44.35 fewer cases per day between Aug. 11-23, according to Harris County Public Health officials.
Coronavirus positivity rates also declined between the two weeks from 11.8% to 11% across the Greater Houston area, according to the TMC. The positivity rate measures what percentage of COVID-19 tests come back with positive results in the area.
As of Aug. 23, the Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting just over 3 million Harris County residents are fully vaccinated, or 64% of the total population. More than 3.5 million residents are partially vaccinated.
The Harris County COVID-19 threat level is moderate with officials advising vigilance and care to the unvaccinated.
