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An international group of scientists has written a response to a push for a "herd immunity" approach to managing the pandemic, which would involve letting the virus spread.

The WHO last week denounced the herd approach—a term used for vaccines—as "scientifically and ethically problematic," because it could greatly boost deaths and expose more people to a virus that may have long-term health consequences. However, a document, known as the Great Barrington declaration, with a list of supporters of the approach was reportedly embraced by the White House.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America has denounced the document, and pushback gained more steam today with the publication in The Lancet of the John Snow Memorandum, which includes scientific references and has now been signed by more than 2,000 scientists, researchers, and health professionals.

Today, 41 states reported at least 1,000 new COVID-19 infections. For a third time this week, the US broke its daily record of new confirmed virus transmissions with 183,620 new positive tests as of 6:00pm PST. The novel coronavirus killed 1,394 more Americans in the last 24 hours and 7,749 of our brothers and sisters in the last seven days (1,107 daily national 7-day average). In only one week, the US has confirmed over 1 million new cases: 1,000,454 infections, which represents a 142,922 daily national average over the last week. Ohio is now ranked 10th nationally, ahead of New Jersey. The current White House and US Senate are doing nothing to help Americans weather this storm; they have rejected proposed bills to temporarily alleviate the unbearable economic loses of many, and have consistently ignored cries for help from a sacrificially battered nation.

COVID-19 in the USA

11/13/2020 COVID-19 UPDATE: Reporting 37 cases from the public and 28 from Valley State Prison (total 65 cases) bringing the total number of reported cases to 5,426. 

Of the 5,426:

Today, the seven local counties together reported 744 new infections and 10 new coronavirus deaths. In the combined 7 counties, COVID-19 has infected 114,193 people and has killed 1,526 residents of our region since it claimed its first central valley victim, in Madera, on March 26, 2020. 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 inadequate.

COVID-19 in Madera + 6 local counties (+% is the positivity rate)

COVID-19 in the 7 counties together

7 counties weekly report -- The trend observed in the last three weeks has been confirmed with a steep climb of cases throughout the valley this week, bringing our combined totals to levels unseen since the last week of August, erasing all the progress we had all worked so hard to achieve. This week's 4,058 new cases confirm 1,102 more infections than last week and 2,175 more than our lowest weekly report in months (1,883 cases), since the summer peak, a short month ago. Thankfully, the weekly death report is the lowest in many months (in early May!), but, as we have learned, the covid-19 related deaths will lag the cases rise by two to four weeks, and will inevitably and sadly grow in the last weeks of November and early December.