Coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County hit 300

The coronavirus death toll in Westmoreland County remained at 25 on Wednesday while the total number of cases there hit 300, according to state and county officials.

The state Department of Health reported nine new cases of covid-19 from 12 a.m. Tuesday and 12 a.m. Wednesday.

County coroner Ken Bacha has said he is being notified of virus-related deaths sooner than the state Department of Health, which on Wednesday was reporting 20 covid-19 deaths countywide.

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.

The majority of the county’s coronavirus-related deaths are tied to nursing and personal care facilities, Bacha has said. Those facilities have not been publicly identified by the coroner or state health department, which is tracking cases around Pennsylvania.

In Westmoreland, 13 men and 12 women between ages 61 and 109 have died. All were white, according to the coroner’s data.

Somerset County’s case count remained at 19, according to state data. Indiana and Armstrong counties both added one case for respective totals of 39 and 56. Two people have died from the virus in Armstrong County and four in Indiana.