Coronavirus Update – July 30, 2020

The world currently stands at 17 million confirmed COVID-19 infections with a growth rate approaching 300,000 per day.  Brazil recently topped the U.S. in new cases on a single day and India is not far behind.  In America, new cases are being added at a rate of 65,000 – 70,000 per day and will likely top 5 million total cases by the end of next week.  California and Florida have now topped New York for total cases and Texas will exceed New York in the next few days as well.

While the number of new cases is dominating the headlines, it is important to remember one bit of bright news – California, Florida, and Texas combined have recorded nearly 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 compared to 442,000 for New York, but New York experienced nearly 33,000 deaths while the other three states combined are at 22,000.

While no one knows for sure why the number of deaths is not increasing at the same rate as cases, it is likely associated with a change in the virus itself (more infectious, less deadly), better approaches to treatment on the part of health care providers, and the effectiveness of precautions taken to protect the most vulnerable among us.

There is no doubt that the pandemic remains a very serious health issue that will not be fully addressed until a vaccine is developed and widely distributed.  There is also no doubt that the social and economic impacts of efforts we have taken to mitigate those health issues are historically negative as well (this morning it was reported that the U.S. economy lost 1/3 of its activity in the second quarter of the year).  The best approach remains to take common-sense precautions while practicing common courtesy to those around us and living life to the fullest extent possible in our own particular circumstances.  In Indiana, this means following the guidelines associated with “Stage 4.5” of the Back on Track plan, specifically wearing a mask when in indoor public spaces.

For more detailed information, please watch the most recent community update video, which can be found at the following link:  https://vimeo.com/441350998

All the Best

Steve