Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community,
Our COVID numbers were pretty good this week from the hospital standpoint with a continued decline in hospitalization of COVID patients. However, the positive cases in the community continue to fluctuate between 1,800 and 2,400 cases per day.
There is some interesting new data in this week’s video message about percentage increases in positive cases since April, broken down by age and ethnicity. I also have information on R(t), the Effective Reproduction Rate, that measures how effective our collective behaviors (e.g., mask wearing and social distancing) are in slowing the growth of the virus in the community. Having this type of information is going to be important as we make decisions about when to open schools and expand business operations. Watch for a brief appearance by Lily with an important reminder.
Have a relaxing and safe weekend.
Paul Klotman, M.D.
President & CEO
Executive Dean
