19th coronavirus death reported in Westmoreland

Officials said Thursday that a man died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the death toll to 19.

Ten men and nine women in the county have died as a result of the virus, according to Coroner Ken Bacha. His office is being notified of the deaths sooner than the state Department of Health. Deaths related to contagious diseases that could cause a public health hazard are required by law to be reported to coroners in the county where the death occurred.

The majority of the fatalities have been linked to senior living communities, Bacha has said.

State health officials on Thursday reported 13 deaths in the county, up from the 11 it announced the day prior. Since late last week, the coroner’s office has provided updated figures that indicate the coronavirus has resulted in more deaths than the state figures show. The first deaths in the county were reported April 5.

State officials said they were attempting to clarify the discrepancy between numbers. The oldest Westmoreland coronavirus victim was 109 and the youngest was 61, according to the most recent information available from the coroner. All 19 were white.

According to the Department of Health, the county reported three new cases of the virus from 12 a.m. Wednesday to 12 a.m. Thursday, bringing the county total to 240.

Statewide, 60 more people died during that time period, bringing the death toll to 707. The state’s running case count is 27, 735 after adding 1,245 new cases.