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

July 16, 2020 -- Today the virus spread has exploded to new heights: Brazil announced it had over 2 million confirmed cases, on the same day that India, once again peaking with 35,468 new cases, announced it had accumulated over 1 million infections, and the United States peaked just under 80,000 cases. Colombia's daily report leaped above 8,000 cases for the first time, while Mexico had a near record day. The world has been adding over 200,000 new cases every day for 9 out of the last 10 days. However, for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, the world added 253,823 new cases in one single day, which means that we could be trending towards adding a million new cases every forth day. On this new peak day in America, elected officials, school superintendents, school staffs, parents and students are considering opening schools in the next few weeks.

Today, I listened to a presentation during which it was mentioned that the country of Israel had reduced its new daily infections down to an average of 16 per day, even posting a report of only 5 new cases on May 16th; as the country had already decided to reopen its schools. Unfortunately, COVID-19 infections flourished in the schools thereafter. As you can see on Israel's graph below, the country just peaked today and is not showing control of the spread. I also found a report that addressed schools in other countries, in which the situation in Israel was summarized as follows:

"As of early May, Israel had experienced fewer than 300 deaths from COVID-19 and the government reopened schools, along with restaurants and other public settings. Starting in early May, school reopening was initially implemented by opening classes in smaller groups or "capsules." By May 17, limitations on class size were lifted. Two weeks after school re-opening, COVID-19 outbreaks were observed in classrooms, including 130 cases in one school alone. By June 3, there were 200 confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 244 positive SARS-CoV-2 tests among students and staff across multiple schools. In response, the government ordered the closure of any school with a cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. By June 8, 139 educational institutions had been indefinitely closed out of 5,200 schools and 200,000 kindergartens."

Folks, we are the epicenter of the pandemic and, as a nation, we just established a new record of new cases today, driving the world to a new daily record while flirting with 80,000 new single-day cases in America. Opening schools for on-site and in-person education now would be disastrous and unfathomably irresponsible.
  • COVID-19 Global cases: 13,943,659 (+253,823) PEAK
  • COVID-19 Global deaths: 592,625 (+5,853)
  • COVID-19 Global death rate: 4.25%
  • COVID-19 Global tests* (est.): 284,995,834 (+3,834,266) 
  • COVID-19 Global positivity rate: 4.89%
  • COVID-19 Global single-day positivity rate: 6.62%

*:incomplete data set
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 typos creep in undetected by my tired evening eyes. I hope they do not bother you as much as they annoy me.
India data:

  • 1,002,637 cases (+35,468) PEAK
  • 25,609 deaths (+680)
  • death rate: 2.55%
  • 12,739,490 tests (+323,826)
  • positivity rate: 7.89%
  • 1 day positivity rate: 10.95%
South Africa data:

  • 324,221 cases (+13,172)
  • 4,669 deaths (+216)
  • death rate: 1.44%
  • 2,324,923 tests (+46,796)
  • positivity rate: 13.95%
  • 1 day positivity rate: 28.15%
Colombia data:

  • 173,206 cases (+8,037) PEAK
  • 6,029 deaths (+215)
  • death rate: 3.48%
  • 1,113,507 tests (+31,092)
  • positivity rate: 15.55%
  • 1 day positivity rate: 25.85%
Israel data:

  • 46,059 cases (+1,871) PEAK
  • 384 deaths (+8)
  • death rate: 0.83%
  • 1,379,491 tests (+62,129)
  • positivity rate: 3.34%
  • 1 day positivity rate: 3.01%
In the US
  • COVID-19 USA cases: 3,694,448 (+78,668) PEAK
  • COVID-19 USA deaths: 141,117 (+1,012)
  • COVID-19 USA death rate: 3.82%
  • COVID-19 USA testing: 45,697,029 individual tests (+852,047)
  • COVID-19 USA positivity rate: 8.08%
  • COVID-19 USA single-day positivity date: 9.23%

The United States set a new record of one day COVID-19 infections as the virus killed 1,012 Americans

Many states, big and small, reported near record numbers again today: California, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Wisconsin, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, while smaller states peaked: Nevada, and Utah (data is featured below, exploded with cases. California's daily reports have averaged 8,676 over the last week. Texas' weekly average is 9,895 while Florida's 11,865 is the highest in the nation, confirming Florida's status as the current national pandemic epicenter. Arizona's weekly average is 3,134. The combined four states have been contributing 33,570 new daily cases to the national total for a week. That total is higher than the average weekly total of the entire country, for example during the week when the nation was sheltering in place in April, when the nation peaked at 35,767 on April 25; that week, the daily average from all 50 states was 31,195.
Nevada data:

  • 31,915 cases (+1,447) PEAK
  • 619 deaths (+1)
  • death rate: 1.94%
  • 457,523 tests
  • positivity rate: 6.85%
  • 1 day positivity rate: 17.73%
Utah data:

  • 31,845 cases (+954) PEAK
  • 3,590 deaths (+119)
  • death rate: 0.73%
  • 439,528 tests
  • positivity rate: 7.25%
  • 1 day positivity rate: 12.81%
In California
Without a trace: This California county has stopped contact tracing as coronavirus surges
Source: calmatters.org
A month ago, everyone in Merced County infected with the coronavirus got a call from county officials, asking questions about whom they’d come in contact with. It’s a tracing process that experts say is critical to stopping the spread of the highly infectious disease... READ MORE

NOTE: I have not confirmed the 11,126 cases number mentioned in this article.
California reports over 9,000 single day cases, three days in a row
  • COVID-19 California cases: 364,055 (+9,083)
  • COVID-19 California deaths: 7,489 (+128)
  • COVID-19 California death rate: 2.06%
  • COVID-19 California testing: 5,915,508 individual tests (+122,232)
  • COVID-19 California positivity rate: 6.15%
  • COVID-19 California single-day positivity rate: 7.43%
In the Central Valley
Today COVID-19 killed 17 more of our neighbors in the central valley; the victims lived in Kern (+1), Kings (+7), Tulare (+8), or Madera (+1) Counties. The Madera County Department of Public Health announced this evening that, as of yesterday, 82 more residents are infected, the county's highest single day case report, bringing our county's total confirmed COVID-19 patients to 1,136 since the start of the pandemic, with one more victim today, a woman in her 60s, adding to 11 COVID-19 deaths in Madera County. The seven counties breakdown is listed below. we will have a more detailed report tomorrow evening when Fresno county releases more data.
Madera + 6 local counties

  • COVID-19 Mariposa: 35 cases, 1 death, 2,955 tests, 1.18 +% (positivity rate)
  • COVID-19 Merced: 2,313 cases (+53), 15 deaths, 20,178 tests, 11.48 + %
  • COVID-19 Madera: 1,136 cases (+82), 11 deaths (+1), 13,361 tests, 8.33+% PEAK
  • COVID-19 Fresno: 8,756 cases, 91 deaths, 87,452 tests, 9.47 +% (3 day-old data)
  • COVID-19 Tulare: 6,480 cases (+148), 161 deaths (+8), est. 51,429 tests, 12.60 +%
  • COVID-19 Kings: 3,108 cases (+30), 41 deaths (+1), 21,993 tests, 14.06 +%
  • COVID-19 Kern: 7,074 cases (+153), 105 deaths (+7), 92,883 tests, 7.62 +%

7 counties together

  • COVID-19 7 counties cases: 28,902 cases (+466)
  • COVID-19 7 counties deaths: 425 deaths (+17)
  • COVID-19 7 counties death rate: 1.47%
  • COVID-19 7 Counties tests: 290,491 (est.)
  • COVID-19 7 Counties positivity rate: 9.95%
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.