Westmoreland County adds 1 new coronavirus death, toll rises to 26

A man died of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the death toll to 26, officials said Thursday.

The death was added to a list that is being provided by Coroner Ken Bacha, who has said the majority of the county’s deaths are tied to nursing and personal care homes. He is being notified of virus-related deaths sooner than the state Department of Health, which on Wednesday reported 20 deaths.

Fourteen men and 12 women between the ages of 61 and 109 have died from the virus, according to Bacha’s statistics. All were white. 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 facilities connected to the deaths have not been publicly identified by the coroner or state health department, which is tracking cases around Pennsylvania.

There were 307 confirmed cases of the virus in Westmoreland County, state health officials said Thursday. The seven new cases were reported between 12 a.m. Wednesday and 12 a.m Thursday. The state’s death total for Westmoreland County, which has lagged behind Bacha’s count for weeks, inexplicably dropped from 20 to 17 during that time.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said some counties saw shifts in numbers after it was discovered a resident who died in that county didn’t reside there. Federal guidelines dictate that covid-19 deaths be counted toward the county in which the deceased individual lived.