Fort Bend County is among the 10 top locations to watch according to a new White House Coronavirus Task Force report, NBC News reports.
According to the report, Fort Bend County is on the “locations to watch” list because it has recorded a 64.8 percent increase in numbers of cases.
NBC News obtained the undisclosed data that the White House’s pandemic task force is using to track rates of infection which reports a spike in infection rates in several metropolitan areas and smaller communities including Fort Bend County.
The data reveals the Houston-area county has confirmed 272 new cases of the coronavirus in the last seven days as well as 35 new cases per 100,000 in the past week.
As of May 11, Fort Bend County Health and Human Services has confirmed 1,404 cases of COVID-19, increasing by 159 since May 4.
Fort Bend County is tenth on the list.
"From day one we put a lot of focus on testing because that’s the only way we can find out how deep this problem,’ said Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George in an interview with KPRC 2 Tuesday.
George said that he isn’t surprised by the numbers and said he knew that the number of cases could likely increase due to the amount of testing availability.
"When you test more people you are going to find more people that are positive for COVID-19,” he said.
Here are the other nine counties on the “locations to watch” list:
1. Ramsey County, Minn.
New cases in the last seven days: 324
New cases per 100,000 in the past week: 59
2. Jackson County, Mo.
New cases in the last seven days: 235
New cases per 100,000 in the past week: 34
3. Lancaster County, Neb.
New cases in the last seven days: 248
New cases per 100,000 in the past week: 78
4. Dallas County, Texas
New cases in the last seven days: 1,383
New cases per 100,000 in the past week: 52
5. Rutherford County, Tenn.
New cases in the last seven days: 207
New cases per 100,000 in the past week: 64
6. Douglas County, Neb.
New cases in the last seven days: 533
New cases per 100,000 in the past week: 94
7. East Baton Rouge Parish, La.
New cases in the last seven days: 394
New cases per 100,000 in the past week: 89
8. Hennepin County, Minn.
New cases in the last seven days: 1,131
New cases per 100,000 in the past week: 90
9. Franklin County, Ohio
New cases in the last seven days: 1,021
New cases per 100,000 in the past week: 78