Our Response to COVID-19: Information
Globally
Good evening,

July 23, 2020 -- As I gather COVID-19 data, I need to reset the clock at roughly the same time each day so we can compare daily numbers based on similar data sets. So, every day, I keep monitoring data flows until the daily numbers are published on the official Mexican government website, which happens at around 6:00 PM Pacific. As i did this today, I locked in the last global number at 15,650,441 total pandemic infections, which, compared to yesterday's data is precisely 5 more cases above yesterday's daily record, setting yet a new daily record of confirmed coronavirus infections. This evening, as I was compiling tonight's report, I was also listening in on the local main hospital's weekly public Q&A, during which all participants were alerted that the hospital's ICU is currently at 130% of capacity. We have now entered a period of intense care requirements, stressed out health workers, severe under-staffing, reduced COVID-19 testing capacity, etc. This is the "all hands on deck" moment. It is imperative that people in the community take the disease seriously and that our leaders devise and implement instruments to make sure we aggressively bend the curve in Madera. The local numbers of cases are rising, the severity of the patients' symptoms is increasing and the resources are being stretched. As a community we must reconsider our behavior, practice all the required mitigation measures, and tell all of our friend and family that, as the doctors were saying on the call this evening, " this is real and it is happening here in our town."
  • COVID-19 Global cases: 15,650,441 (+279,497) PEAK
  • COVID-19 Global deaths: 636,384 (+6,255)
  • COVID-19 Global death rate: 4.07%
  • COVID-19 Global tests* (est.): 305,276,793 (+2,851,782) 
  • COVID-19 Global positivity rate: 5.12%
  • COVID-19 Global single-day positivity rate: 9.80%

*:incomplete data set

Today, the US, Brazil, Indonesia, Bolivia, South Africa, Colombia, Iraq, and Israel almost reached their own recently established apex. Mexico and India both set new daily records, which, combined with potential signs of second waves in Europe (France, Spain) and elsewhere (Iran), and also with countries that have not yet reached baseline and are stuck on sustained plateaus (Russia, Peru, Chile, Turkey, Bangladesh), has resulted in yet another daily record and is fueling the world towards adding a million new cases every four days for the near future.

Tip: click on any of the graphs for larger and clearer images and click on READ MORE to view the complete articles.

Note: Please forgive the occasional typos. I write these reports at the end of the work day and I have seen them creep in, undetected by my tired evening eyes. I hope they do not bother you as much as they annoy me.
Mexico data

  • 370,712 (+8,438) cases PEAK
  • 41,908 (+718) deaths
  • death rate: 11.30%
  • positivity date: 42.45%
India data

  • 1,288,130 (+48,446) cases PEAK
  • 30,645 (+755) deaths
  • death rate: 2.38%
  • positivity rate: 8.54%
In the US
Today COVID-19 killed 1,196 Americans!

  • COVID-19 USA cases: 4,168,801 (+69,547)
  • COVID-19 USA deaths: 147,333(+1,196)
  • COVID-19 USA death rate: 3.53%
  • COVID-19 USA testing: 51,559,629 individual tests (+836,392)
  • COVID-19 USA positivity rate: 8.09%
  • COVID-19 USA single-day positivity date: 8.32%

Alabama set a new daily record today while Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Ohio, Nevada, South Carolina, Arkansas and even the Veterans Affairs almost set new records and added significant numbers to the day's national tally. As we have started to observe in Europe, there are signs of sustained flares in states that had been able to reach their own baseline with very few new cases per day: Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania are exhibiting troubling signs of regrowth, requiring the vigilance that had helped them bend their own curve in the last days of spring.

To stop this pandemic, we need to implement a national strategy similar to the ones that have successfully bent the curve in Europe and Asia. Until then, we all can do our part following the simple mitigating habits: wear a mask, practice physical distancing, stay at home if you can, wash your hands, clean frequently used surfaces, respect others and help us all bend the curve.
In California
ER Doctor Saw COVID-19 Devastate New York. Now, He's Doing It Again In California
Source: npr.org
Dr. Louis Tran, an emergency physician, spend much of May in New York City ICUs treating patients with COVID-19. Now, he's back at home in San Bernardino County in California, fighting the same virus on a different coast.

This week, California surpassed New York and became the state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. But the deaths are far lower, in part because the majority of new cases are young people, who are not at an increased risk of severe illness and are less likely to die from the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gov. Gavin Newsom reimposed restrictions on some indoor businesses, including restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums and bars on July 13.

"It's difficult when you're just being bombarded on a daily basis," Tran says. "COVID-19 is a different animal and there's a lot of us who are wondering how it's going to look when we really get hit."

He says some of his colleagues are experiencing what he would describe as symptoms similar to PTSD.

"I've had professional colleagues tell me that they're not sure that they could handle a second wave if it would hit again," he says. "They are so overwhelmed."... READ MORE
California reports its highest number of single-day coronavirus deaths, on the eve of becoming the most infected state in the nation
  • COVID-19 California cases: 431,155 (+9,744)
  • COVID-19 California deaths: 8,202 (+161) PEAK
  • COVID-19 California death rate: 1.90%
  • COVID-19 California testing: 6,778,304 individual tests (+113,885)
  • COVID-19 California positivity rate: 6.36%
  • COVID-19 California single-day positivity rate: 8.56%
In the Central Valley
The Madera County Department of Public Health COVID-19 Update:

Reporting 69 new cases for 7/22 bringing the total number of reported cases to 1,599. We are also reporting two COVID-related deaths:
• 817 active case (including 34 hospitalized)
• 764 recovered (33 released from isolation)
• 18 deceased (including 2 additional COVID-related deaths)
  • Male, 80s, with underlying health conditions
  • Female, 90s with underlying health conditions

Kern county peaked again today with 1,135 new cases, bringing the county's total to 5,249 new cases confirmed during the last 7 days: 43% of the county's overall cases in one week. Kern county is now ahead of Fresno county, with the highest number of accumulated COVID-19 cases since the onset of the pandemic in the region. As we do every Friday, we will publish a full weekly report tomorrow evening.

Today, the seven combined counties reported 2,016 new cases and 6 new deaths in our area of the California Central Valley.
Madera + 6 local counties

  • COVID-19 Mariposa: 41 cases, 1 death, 3,243 tests, 1.23 +% (positivity rate)
  • COVID-19 Merced: 3,123 cases (+129), 27 deaths (+1), 22,770 tests, 14.02+%
  • COVID-19 Madera: 1,599 cases (+69), 18 deaths (+2), 15,670 tests, 10.20+%
  • COVID-19 Fresno: 11,756 cases (+344), 104 deaths, 103,746 tests, 10.05 +%
  • COVID-19 Tulare: 7,876 cases (+273), 168 deaths, est. 62,508 tests, 12.90 +%
  • COVID-19 Kings: 3,600 cases (+135), 45 deaths (+3), 26,623 tests, 13.52 +%
  • COVID-19 Kern: 12,323 cases (+1,135), 115 deaths, 111,457 tests, 11.06+% PEAK

7 counties together

  • COVID-19 7 counties cases: 40,318 cases (+2,016)
  • COVID-19 7 counties deaths: 478 deaths (+6)
  • COVID-19 7 counties death rate: 1.19%
  • COVID-19 7 Counties tests: 345,595 (est.)
  • COVID-19 7 Counties positivity rate: 11.67%
From our hearts to yours,

Fredo and Renee Martin
Workingarts Marketing, inc.
+1-559-662-1119

PS: We welcome comments and questions. If you wish to review previous reports, we now host past issues here.