Westmoreland County adds 6 new coronavirus cases, no additional deaths
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Westmoreland County added six more coronavirus cases on Tuesday as the county’s total inched toward 400 cases.
The 383 Westmoreland cases are among the now 43,264 covid-19 cases diagnosed across the state since the first cases were reported March 6. Westmoreland County saw its first case April 5.
Since then, 30 people have died countywide, according to coroner Ken Bacha, who has said a majority of the deaths are tied to long-term care facilities.
The state’s death count for the county — 20 — continues to lag behind Bacha’s, and he’s noted that he finds out about virus-related deaths sooner than the Department of Health.
Deaths related to contagious diseases that could constitute a public health hazard are required by law to be reported to coroners in the county where the death occurred.
Fourteen men and 16 women between the ages of 61 and 109 have died from the virus in Westmoreland County, according to Bacha’s statistics. All were white.
The facilities connected to the deaths have not been publicly identified by the coroner or state health department, which is tracking cases around Pennsylvania.
The 20 deaths being reported to the state have all been tied to seven different care facilities, according to the department’s data. Two employees in such facilities also contracted the virus.