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

August 25, 2020 -- As the United States' new daily cases have been slowing down, new coronavirus cases are still rising in India, Iraq, Indonesia, Peru, Colombia, and Argentina, setting new or near peak single-day records. The top three most infected countries (USA, Brazil, India) together mourned 3,542 more victims, representing over 55% of the COVID-19 fatalities for the day. The global new cases numbers inched up again towards the quarter million cases daily average of the last six to seven weeks.

  • COVID-19 Global cases: 24,048,516 (+243,282)
  • COVID-19 Global deaths: 823,178 (+6,397)
  • COVID-19 Global death rate: 3.42%
  • COVID-19 Global testing: 420,665,314 confirmed tests (+4,402,135)
  • COVID-19 Global positivity rate: 5.72%
  • COVID-19 Global single-day positivity date: 5.44%

*: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.Also, please forgive the occasional typos.
India COVID-19 cases data

  • Global rank: 3
  • 3,231,754 cases (+66,873)
  • 59,612 deaths (+1,066)
  • 36,827,520 tests (+925,383)
  • Positivity rate: 8.78%
Argentina COVID-19 deaths data

  • Global rank: 12
  • 359,638 cases (+8,771) PEAK
  • 7,563 deaths (+197)
  • 1,127,098 tests (+21,220)
  • Positivity rate: 31.91%
‘Not young or old, irresponsible people driving Covid-19 pandemic in India’: ICMR | hindustantimes.com
The experts from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have said that people who are not wearing masks are driving the Covid-19 pandemic in India.

“I wouldn’t say young or old but irresponsible, less cautious people who are not wearing masks are driving the pandemic in India,” said Professor (Dr) Balram Bhargava, Director General of ICMR.

He also said that three vaccine candidates are the frontrunners in the country.

“Three Covid-19 vaccines are ahead in the race in India. Serum Institute’s vaccine is in phase 2(B) & phase 3 trials and Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila’s vaccines have completed phase 1 trial,” said Dr Bhargava.

His remarks came on a day when India saw 60,975 new cases of the coronavirus disease in the last 24 hours. With this, the nationwide infection tally rose to 31,67,323.

The death toll climbed to 58,390 with 848 fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours, the Union health ministry data showed on Tuesday.

There are 7,04,348 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 22.24 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
In the US
Why the United States is having a coronavirus data crisis | nature.com

Political meddling, disorganization and years of neglect of public-health data management mean the country is flying blind.

Medical staff wearing protective clothing and a ventilator looking at a computer monitor in a hospital intensive care unit
A healthcare worker checks data on a computer before treating a person infected with COVID-19 in April at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in New York City.Credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty

South Korea’s grip on the coronavirus faltered this month when a large church in Seoul had an outbreak — involving 915 cases as of 25 August. The government has reinstated restrictions in the city to prevent a surge, but it's also reporting details of the outbreak publicly. For instance, it has shared that 120 people infected at the church have spread the coronavirus to people at 22 venues, including 4 call centres and 3 hospitals in Seoul... READ MORE

  • COVID-19 USA cases: 5,954,833 (+39,203)
  • COVID-19 USA deaths: 182,375 (+1,261)
  • COVID-19 USA death rate: 3.06%
  • COVID-19 USA testing: 77,553,492 individual tests (+670,013)
  • COVID-19 USA positivity rate: 7.68%
  • COVID-19 USA single-day positivity date: 5.85%
US top 5 infected states:

  1. California: 682,050 COVID-19 cases, 12,402 deaths
  2. Texas: 615,600 COVID-19 cases, 12,077 deaths
  3. Florida: 605,502 COVID-19 cases, 10,580 deaths
  4. New York: 461,602 COVID-19 cases, 32,978 deaths
  5. Georgia: 258,354 COVID-19 cases, 5,262 deaths
In California
Dozens of University of Southern California students test positive for COVID-19 | cbsnews.com
At least 43 University of Southern California students living in off-campus housing have tested positive for the coronavirus, CBS Los Angeles reports. The 43 cases occurred among students living in the University Park campus community, the school disclosed in a letter to students' families.

More than 100 students have been asked to quarantine. The outbreak was first reported by the USC student newspaper and has since been posted on the university's website. USC said 14 positive cases of COVID-19 were identified through asymptomatic population testing and 29 cases through contact tracing and testing of symptomatic and exposed individuals.

"For students who remain on or near campus in shared living arrangements, we strongly advise you to act with caution and strictly follow all guidelines for physical distancing (6 feet), avoiding gatherings with others outside your home, wearing... READ MORE
  • COVID-19 California cases: 682,050 (+5,827)
  • COVID-19 California deaths: 12,402 (+145)
  • COVID-19 California death rate: 1.82%
  • COVID-19 California testing: 10,762,506 individual tests (+110,019)
  • COVID-19 California positivity rate: 6.34%
  • COVID-19 California single-day positivity rate: 5.30%
In the Central Valley
The Madera County Department of Public Health COVID-19 Update:

8/25/2020 COVID-19 UPDATE: Reporting 25 new cases bringing the total number of reported cases to 3,509. We also regret to report 1 additional death. 
Of the 3,509:
  • 678 active case (including 14 Madera County residents hospitalized in Madera County) 
  • 2,780 recovered (161 released from isolation) 
  • 51 deceased

1 additional death
  • Female, 90s, status of underlying conditions unknown

Today, the local counties together confirmed 563 new infections and 30 new coronavirus deaths (in Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Kern counties).

We are still on the ascent of the spread's epidemiological graph and have yet to flatten our local curve. Our friends and neighbors are needlessly dying, many families are suffering. Science and the courage to follow its logic will solve this pandemic, any other discourse is useless.
COVID-19 in Madera + 6 local counties (+% is the positivity rate)

  • Mariposa: 70 cases (+1), 2 deaths, 4,730 tests, 1.48+%
  • Merced: 7,690 cases (+37), 110 deaths (+4), 40,342 tests, 19.06+%
  • Madera: 3,509 cases (+25), 51 deaths (+1), 37,058 tests, 9.47+%
  • Fresno: 23,295 cases (+455 revised), 239,deaths (+13), 190,422 tests, 12.23+%
  • Tulare: 13,609 cases (+178), 216 deaths, est. 90,727 tests, 15.00+%
  • Kings: 5,957 cases (+36), 69 deaths (+1), 33,686 tests, 17.68+%
  • Kern: 28,520 cases (+286), 251 deaths (+11), 163,471 tests, 17.45+%

COVID-19 in the 7 counties together

  • 7 counties cases: 82,650 (+563)
  • 7 counties deaths: 938 (+30)
  • 7 counties death rate: 1.13%
  • 7 Counties tests: 560,436 (est.)
  • 7 Counties positivity rate: 14.75%
Keep observing the simple yet proven habits of physical-distancing, mask-wearing, and frequent hand-washing, that will help drive down new infections and new deaths numbers, to a level low enough so as to give us a chance to reopen our schools for onsite education and thus, reopen our economy. Nothing else will work until we have a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.
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.