Another covid-19 death in Westmoreland County; total now 13

Officials on Monday reported the 13th coronavirus-related death in Westmoreland County.

Coroner Ken Bacha said the latest death was yet another person connected with a local nursing home as all but one of the county’s fatalities have been linked to senior living communities.

State health officials on Monday continued to list the county death total at six but, since late last week, the coroner’s office has disclosed updated figures that shows coronavirus has resulted in more deaths. The first deaths in the county were reported April 5.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Monday she was unaware of the discrepancy between state and county figures and she would have her team “reach out and clarify.”

Bacha disclosed additional information about who has died as a result of the virus. He said, through Monday, six men and seven woman died from the illness. All were white.

The oldest local coronavirus victim was 109. the youngest was 64 and the average age of the victims is 82, Bacha said.

Five additional cases of the coronavirus was reported Monday, bringing the Westmoreland County’s total to 228.

Westmoreland officials said they are expected to receive updated information from the state as to where, specifically, in the county the positive cases are located.

Whether that information is released to the public is still in doubt.

Public Safety Director Roland Mertz said county officials have been directed by the state’s health department to sign a nondisclosure agreement before they will receive the addresses of the local residents who tested positive for the coronavirus.

“We may only be allowed to enter that information into our (911) system,” Mertz said.

Police and other first responders will be notified if they are called out to an address where someone has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

The Allegheny County Health Department issues daily public reports about its coronavirus cases, including a map that denotes the number of cases by municipality. Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew said he wants to see similar disclosure of local cases.

“I hope to have something set up by the end of the week,” Chew said.

Commissioners Sean Kertes and Gina Cerilli said they, too, favor public release of the coronavirus data by municipality.

“We have to start with a focus on first responders to make sure they are safe then it will trickle down to the public. If we are legally allowed to we’ll be happy to release to the public were covid-19 is in the county. The average person wants to know where it is. I’d like to know if I live in a hot spot,” Kertes said.

Across the state, 1,366 new cases of covid-19 were reported, bringing the running count to 24,199, according to state data. Seventeen more people have died, bringing the death toll of 524.

In Allegheny County, 19 new cases and two deaths were reported, for totals of 876 and 21.

Armstrong, Somerset and Washington counties all reported one new case of the virus, and Fayette and Indiana both added three.