After the early January 2021 peak, the seven-week long global decline in daily reports of confirmed covid-19 cases ended this week with a resurgence of new infections in many countries around the world, including near peak reports in Brazil, Peru, Czechia, and Iraq, while upward spikes were observed in Italy, France, Poland, Ukraine, Chile, Romania, Sweden, the Philippines, Lebanon, and steady or slight growths are troubling contagion mitigation efforts in India, Iran, Indonesia, Germany, Turkey, Holland, Spain, and the United States. The world recorded 2,705,809 new cases in the last week, a 7% uptick from last week’s data, and 65,224 new global covid-19 fatalities, a slower decline (of -5%) when compared to last week’s -18% report.

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The sharp decline in new covid-19 cases from the last few weeks is now flattening at a high plateau, roughly set at the peak of the summer 2020 wave, with a steady daily increase, all week, of new daily infections in the United States. On Friday the 26th of February, the nation recorded 80,625 new coronavirus infections and covid-19 killed 2,246 Americans in the last 24 hours. As they did a week ago, 21 states still reported at least 1,000 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours. The national hospitalization numbers are also down: 52,669 covid-19 patients are now hospitalized in the United States (-14% week-to-week), with 10,846 (-15%) in ICU and 3,567 (-15%) people fighting for their life currently on ventilators. In the last 7 days, covid-19 has killed 14,227 Americans (+1%) and infected 497,350 more of our neighbors (-2%).

COVID-19 in the USA

This week, California's 40,341 new coronavirus infections total is 19% lower than it was last week and 2,188 more Californians have died from covid-19 (8% fewer than last week). The declines in both categories are about half as sharp as they were a week ago, signaling a potential plateauing or renewed growth in the coming weeks. More patience, diligence, vaccinations, and compassion are needed to beat the virus.

2/26/2021: Reporting 17 cases from the public, bringing the total number of reported cases to 15,356.

Of the 15,356:

Including its prison population, Madera County is averaging 29 new cases per day (18 per 100K), with 203 new cases revealed over the last 7 days, 16 more cases than were totaled last week (187), as we aim to reduce the average down to 11 cases per day (7 cases per 100K) over 7 days, as required to switch our county from purple to red -- "widespread" to "substantial" -- contagion risk.

Today, the seven local counties together reported 802 new infections and 50 new coronavirus deaths. In the combined 7 counties, COVID-19 has infected 312,606 people and has killed 3,858 residents of our region since it claimed its first central valley victim, in Madera, on March 26, 2020.

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

COVID-19 in the 7 counties together

% of cumulative covid-19 cases in 7 local counties:

% of cumulative covid-19 deaths in 7 local counties:

Keep observing the simple yet proven safety habits of physical-distancing, mask-wearing, and frequent hand-washing, that will help drive down new infections and new deaths, 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 massively administered a safe and effective covid-19 vaccine -- currently estimated by vaccinating up to 85% of the population -- to finally reach herd immunity.