Total coronavirus cases in Fresno County have gone down. Here’s the latest data
The California Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported a reduction in total cases of coronavirus in Fresno County.
The county has a reported total of 29,022 confirmed COVID-19 cases, which is a net reduction of 114 cases from the last update. The county’s case numbers were reduced, but it remained unclear what caused the correction.
State officials have said any reductions or corrections typically result from double-counts or cases that were inadvertently assigned to the wrong county.
Fresno health officials couldn’t immediately explain the change, but in an email to The Bee, Dr. Rais Vohra, Fresno County’s interim health officer, said county officials were looking into the matter.
It also remained unclear Wednesday whether the reduction would have any effect on Fresno’s red Tier 2 status on the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which restricts county-level businesses, schools, and other operations based on local infection rates.
Fresno County only reports deaths on Tuesdays and Fridays. The most recent update put the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Fresno County at 406.
A total of about 19,000 people have recovered from the virus in the county.
COVID-19 case reporting remains important for counties as they strive to remove state-imposed restrictions that are keeping commercial closures in place or limiting capacity.
On Tuesday, Fresno County faced the possibility of returning to the most restrictive tier of commercial closures due to an alarming increase in coronavirus infections.
A total of 122 people who are confirmed and suspected of having coronavirus are hospitalized in Fresno County.
Latest COVID-19 cases in the central San Joaquin Valley
Five new cases were confirmed in Kings County, bringing the total number of cases since the outbreak to 7,933. No new deaths were reported; there have been 82 total deaths.
In Madera County, only two cases were reported Wednesday and no new deaths. Overall, 4,720 cases have been confirmed in that county.
Just one new case was confirmed in Mariposa County, officials reported Wednesday. That county has seen 76 total cases and two deaths.
In Merced County, 21 new cases were confirmed among residents. That brings the county’s total number of cases to 9,111. So far, 149 people have died in that county.
Tulare County added the most cases during Wednesday’s update, with 27 new confirmed COVID-19 reports. The total number of cases in that county has reached 16,634. Tulare County remains the county with the second-most deadly case rate, behind Fresno County. As of Wednesday, the death toll stood at 267.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of deaths in Fresno County. It has been corrected.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 6:15 PM.
