The latest COVID-19 numbers released by the Imperial County Public Health Department show some progress.

The Monday morning  numbers indicate that the number of deaths remained at 257 , the same as Saturday's update. The number of positive cases increased by 87 while the number of active COVID patients dropped by 33. The 7-dat percentage of positive testing dropped to 9.83%. For the Imperial County economy to reopen the 7-day percentage must be less that 8%.

Comparing Monday August 17 numbers to July 17 , the number of positive COVID-19 cases jumped by 1,748 while the number of active cases decreased by 165. The number of deaths jumped in the one-month period from 156 to 257. The number of people tested on July 17 was 41,096 and that number is now 53,547. OptumServe continues to operate 3 test sites in the Imperial Valley , one at the Calexico Community Center , one at the Imperial Veteran's Hall and the third at the Brawley Senior Center. Testing is available to anyone free of charge and no physicians referral is needed. Testing is by appointment only Tuesday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled on the OptumServe website or through the Imperial County Public Health Department website.