Our gov was talking about they monitor it by the double factor... How long it takes to double the number of cases and deaths in each state... We were around 2 - 3 days when it first started, but now are at 4 - 5 days to double the numbers...
Well, it's going to take longer to double thousands of cases/deaths when you are in middle of the crisis compared to doubling 3 or 4 cases like in the beginning...
I think most are focused on new cases per day. Which is a pretty good indicator except that it only considers people who get tested. And I think most tests still take a couple days, so there is a lag in reporting.