This measure, also known as the “test positivity ratio”, is now higher than any other state. It measures seven-day averages and is now more common in Mississippi than anywhere else. Fox News asked President Donald Trump about the rise in cases in the United States on July 19, and he replied, “If we test half as many, those numbers will be down.” He also stated that if we tested half of what he did, then there would be fewer cases. Tate Reeves challenged the significance of the test positive rate and said, “I could go into virtually every community right now and significantly reduce our test positifity rate by going to random throughout that community.” This number has doubled since July 1, when Mississippi’s positivity ratio was 13 percent. That seven-day average was 13%. Sunday saw it peak at 27%. Public health experts use seven-day averages to see trends because daily test results can vary widely — this week, they ranged from 3,000 to 10,000 in Mississippi. Mississippi now leads all states in that measure, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project analyzed by a group of public health experts on the website COVIDExitStrategy.org. Last updated Tuesday, the analysis shows Mississippi’s average seven-day rate at 23 percent. Arizona is second with a rate of 21 percent and all other states are below 20 percent. In another way, Mississippi has seen its total test positivity rate, which is the sum of all positive cases divided over all tests since March, reach new highs in 11 of the 12 days. It now stands at 12 percent. The chart shows that there is some correlation between new cases and new tests. However, new cases have been increasing steadily since June while new tests have varied greatly over a seven day average.