SOME UNDERCOUNTING of coronavirus cases are being reported in Los Angeles County (Shutterstock).

Is the reported drop in the rate of COVID-19 infections in California encouraging or just the result of flawed data processing?

Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s Health and Human Services secretary, said on Tuesday that the announcement by Gov. Gavin Newsome Monday of a 21.2 percent decrease in a weeklong average of infections may not be right.

According to the Los Angeles Times, delays in analyzing results from tests makes unclear the actual situation regarding whether the battle against the coronavirus pandemic was making progress, and – if so – how much.

Technical issues in the collection of test results may be a factor. It’s resulted in undercounting the number of positive cases in Los Angeles County, according to a statement issued by L.A. public health officials.

Orange County has reported declines in confirmed cases, deaths and in test-positivity, which seeks to measure the portion of people tested for the virus are actually infected.

For today’s OC results, go to:

https://orangecountytribune.com/2020/08/04/coronavirus-cases-fall-to-253/

Will Joe Arpaio get another chance?

Voters went to the polls Tuesday– or in some cases already  have mailed their ballots  in – Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington State. Although the presidential primary process is over, many Congressional, state and local offices are at stake.

Among the most interesting race is the contest for the office of sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona.

Joe Arpaio is the long-time former sheriff of the state’s biggest county. He’s long controversial for his hard-line policies and the target of several federal civil rights lawsuits. Arpaio, a Republican first elected in 1992, served until losing to Democrat Paul Penzone in 2016. He’s now seeking the Republican nomination for his old post.

In the news: Blast kills 70 and more in Beirut

• A huge explosion in the Lebanese city of Beirut killed at least 70 people, injured 3,000 more and did massive damage to the port. The cause of the blast was not immediately known, but some reports indicate it may have been a fire that detonated some explosive material.
• Baby boomers – those born from 1946 to 1964 – are longer the biggest group in the U.S. population. According to Brookings Institution, 50.7 percent of Americans are now under 40. That makes millennials, Generation Z and younger generations and others, numbering 162 million people, the biggest “cohort” in the population.
• The worldwide count of coronavirus cases is now at 18,448,084, with the U.S. the leader with 4,763,746. Following are Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa. The global death tally is now at 688,998, with the U.S. also the leader with 156,667. Next are Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom/Great Britain and India. However, the U.S. has seen fewer that 50,000 new cases for the second consecutive day.
• Amnesty International is claiming that U.S. law enforcement agencies violated human rights at dozens of protests and demonstrations this spring and summer. It also noted that in some cases, activists, journalists, legal observers and “street medics” were targeted with tear gas, pepper spray and other crowd control weapons.

Sports Today: Angels and Dodgers post wins

• Angels 5, Seattle 3: Mike Trout was one of three Angels who homered in this victory. Albert Pujols’ round-tripper was the 659th of his career, placing him just one behind Willie Mays on the all-time list. David Fletcher hit the other HR. Andrew Heaney (1-0) had one of the best starts of any Halo opener this season, working 5.2 innings and giving up just three hits and one run. The Angels (now 4-7 and in third place in the AL West) play the Mariners again on Wednesday.
• Dodgers 5, Padres 2: The L.A. team rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to post the win. A.J. Pollock had two hits – including a home run and two RBIs and Corey Seager contributed a two-run single to pace the team’s win. Dustin May had a good start, lasting six innings and giving up just three hits and two runs. He struck out eight Padres and walked one. The Dodgers are 8-4 and in second place in the NL West and face San Diego again on Wednesday.
• Suns 117, Clippers 115: Devin Booker’s shot at the buzzer lifted Phoenix (29-39) to the narrow win. He also led his team with 35 points. The Clips (45-22) were led in scoring by Kawhi Leonard with 27 points and Paul George with 23.