GREENFIELD — The Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) has moved to reporting the counties’ COVID-19 case numbers to every other week, so updated figures won’t be available until June 4.

FRCOG Director of Community Services Phoebe Walker said numbers will be collected and calculated bi-weekly from this point. The agency was previously reporting the numbers every Thursday at 4 p.m., but numbers have stayed steady or have been declining over the past couple of weeks.

On the city website, Greenfield reports it has seen three more positive COVID-19 cases in the past week and two more virus-related deaths than it did at this time last week.

According to city numbers, there are 192 positive COVID-19 cases, 183 recoveries and 46 deaths. At a glance, those numbers don’t make sense, because the number of recoveries and deaths outnumbers the cumulative positive cases.

Mayor Roxann Wedegartner’s Chief of Staff Danielle Letourneau explained the discrepancy is because the city is also keeping track of people who have been clinically diagnosed with COVID-19, but have not been tested to confirm the disease, so they cannot be included in the cumulative number of positive cases. Meanwhile, deaths reported are those who tested positive for COVID-19, but the virus wasn’t necessarily the cause of death.

Those who are reported as having recovered include people who tested positive, Letourneau said, as well as those who aren’t included in the positive case count because they were never tested, but had symptoms and were virtually diagnosed and told to self-isolate at home.

Recovery is defined as 72 hours with no symptoms, no medications to treat any symptoms and improvement, and as May 14, Greenfield’s recovery number includes clinically or presumed-positive cases. By contrast, the confirmed cases and deaths have received positive tests and been verified by the Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network, better known as MAVEN.

Greenfield’s three nursing homes have been responsible for at least 37 of its 46 deaths.

As of Thursday, Charlene Manor Extended Care had reported nine cumulative “in-house” deaths, and this week it reported that no residents or staff are currently positive for COVID-19.

There are also no patients currently testing positive for COVID-19 at Buckley HealthCare Center. It reports 15 cumulative deaths, the same number it reported last week.

Poet’s Seat Health Care Center last reported it had suffered 14 deaths earlier this month, and at the time, co-owner Michele Carney said the facility and its residents and staff members are on the mend. Carney could not be reached for further updates before press time.

The state Department of Public Health releases town-by-town information each week on Wednesday — the number of positive cases has remained steady over the last couple of weeks. However, the state does not provide information on recoveries and deaths in individual towns, like what FRCOG has been doing.

Baystate Franklin Medical Center also provides its own numbers daily. This week, it reported it had no confirmed cases and two people were under investigation for having the virus.

A spokesperson said expanded testing has allowed the hospital system to identify more cases within its communities and take steps to limit transmission.

Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.