Watch CBS News

Yolo County Health Officials Disputing 2 Coronavirus Deaths

YOLO COUNTY (CBS13) — Yolo County is continuing to make its case to the state that it's ready to move further into stage 2 reopening.

The state Department of Public Health will only let counties open if they have had no COVID-19 deaths in the last two weeks. And Yolo County health officials argue two coronavirus deaths reported this week should not be counted in their total.

The Public Health Director in Yolo County, Brian Vaughn, says recent numbers don't reflect where they really are right now.

"The fact that we meet all of the other key indicators makes a strong case for us, and we can certainly provide other indicators again around our rate of infection which is really low right now. We've only had, I believe, seven or eight cases since the beginning of the month," Vaughn said.

READ ALSO: Expect More Cases Of Strange Coronavirus Syndrome In Kids, Doctors Warn

The county is disputing two deaths, one who passed away after a long hospital stay, and the other who died last month after their case was initially assigned to Sacramento County and then transferred to Yolo County within the last few days.

County health officials are also pushing back against five recent deaths at a Woodland assisted living facility, saying the outbreak has been contained and the deaths are not evidence of "community transmission."

"We certainly want to make the case that we believe we're ready, we're safe to move forward when we want to," Vaughn said.

County leaders say they are in talks with state health officials right now and are hoping to get an answer soon.

As of Thursday evening, Yolo County has 182 reported coronavirus cases and 22 deaths. According to the county's Covid-19 dashboard, only 42 residents have been hospitalized with the virus.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.