Effective Reproduction Number (Rt)
Three significant reporting gaps during the second half of November create some instability in estimates during that period. Overall, Rt estimates have undulated substantially. Whether or not the recent downward trend will continue remains to be seen.
Projected Incidence
Because of the significant November reporting gaps/lags described above, we modeled what the missing numbers most likely would have been during this period and project future cases over a two-week period based on a combination of these and more recent actual case numbers. While December data so far appears reliable, the projections should be interpreted with some caution and in light of other indicators such as hospital utilization figures. Given continuation of current social mixing patterns, case numbers are expected to trend downward slightly through the first week of January.
Asymptomatic to Symptomatic Ratio
Data issues again complicate estimation, but the ratio of asymptomatic to symptomatic cases appears to remained at a fairly steady level throughout most of November and December. Time will tell whether a recent downward swing represents a sustained decrease in the ratio. The presence of symptoms facilitates control efforts.
