The coronavirus pandemic caused an uptick in reports of child abuse in Fort Bend County that, even a year later, experts are still trying to fully understand, according to officials with Child Advocates of Fort Bend.  Overall, the advocacy program received about 6 percent more reports of child abuse in 2020 compared to 2019, said Ruthanne Mefford, the CEO of Child Advocates of Fort Bend. But in actuality, the number is much higher, because advocates noticed a decrease in reports during the first months of the pandemic, followed by an uptick of some 62 percent in later months in 2020, Mefford said.  The decline and rise in reports coincides almost exactly with the most severe shutdowns and reopenings.