Westmoreland County adds 31 new cases of covid-19; state, local death tolls still don't match

Westmoreland County reported 31 new cases of covid-19 on Saturday, for a total of 280 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease, state health department data show.

The state continues to under-report the number of deaths attributed to covid-19 when compared to local data.

As of midday Saturday, the state health department reported just 13 deaths in Westmoreland County.

The Westmoreland County Coroner continues to report at least 19 deaths, according to its website, which was last updated on Thursday.

The coroner says that the deaths have included 10 men and nine women, all white, with an average age of 81. The youngest who died was 61 years old.

State Health Secretary Rachel Levine has said that officials are working to resolve such apparent discrepancies in reporting happening around the state, particularly in counties that do not have their own local health department.

Between Thursday and Friday morning, Westmoreland County added nine new cases.

About 3,200 people in Westmoreland County have tested negative for covid-19, according to the state.

The state as a whole on Saturday reported more than 1,600 new covid-19 cases, pushing the running total to 31,069. Eighty more people died of the coronavirus disease. Pennsylvania’s death toll stands at 836.

Positive cases have been confirmed in all 67 of the state’s counties.