St. Joseph County officials provide update on COVID-19 response

St. Joseph County leaders held their weekly press conference and updated the public on the response to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Dr. Mark Fox of the Department of Health provided an update on county numbers.

There are 723 total cases reported to the department.

There have been 30 deaths in St. Joseph County, but 3 of those deaths were out of county residents.

There are currently 23 COVID-19 patients hospitalized and 25 patients in the hospital who are suspected of having COVID-19.

Approximately 7,600 tests have been performed, but the totals do not include all providers who perform tests or the newly opened armory site.

The county has a 266 cases per 100,000 residents.

Of those diagnosed, 70-percent are under the age of 60.

Dr. Fox also addressed why the state's numbers for St. Joseph County are higher than the county's numbers.

He said the state has around 30 cases attributed to St. Joseph County that are either non-county residents, or are duplicates of cases already counted. They are working with the state to correct the totals.

South Bend Mayor James Mueller discussed the new guidelines for reopening. He said some business owners have expressed difficulty in getting hand sanitizer and PPE for employees.

There is a website that helps connect small businesses in Indiana with PPE. Click here to visit the site.