Coronavirus update: Fresno death toll sets new record as city weighs shutdown order Fresno Bee 12/23/2020 Nadia Lopez, The Fresno Bee Dec. 22—As one of the regions facing the highest increase in coronavirus cases across the state, Fresno County on Monday reported 89 new COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the countywide total to 646 since the pandemic began, according to state data. The county also added 952 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, pushing the total to 58,568 since March. December is now Fresno County's deadliest related month tied to the pandemic with about 167 deaths. The previous record was 152 deaths in August. Frontline healthcare workers at Clinica Sierra Vista in Fresno and Kern counties will be first in line to receive the first doses of Moderna's recently approved coronavirus vaccination sometime this week, the hospital confirmed Monday.