Westmoreland County adds 3 new covid-19 cases; coroner’s death tally remains at 30

Westmoreland County’s covid-19 cases have climbed to at least 396 — including three new cases reported by early Saturday, state health data show.

About 40% of the county’s cases are linked to nursing homes and other senior care facilities.

The state health department cites at least 129 residents and 30 employees infected with the highly contagious disease across eight nursing homes. Data is not available on the cases and deaths tied to specific facilities.

The state continues to report fewer deaths than the county coroner.

At least 30 deaths have been attributed to covid-19, Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha reports. The coroner’s count has not changed since Monday.

Bacha said the deaths included 14 men and 16 women, and that the majority were linked to nursing homes. The average age of deaths countywide was 83 years old, and the youngest who died of covid-19 was 61.

Meanwhile, the state health department reported just 26 covid-19 deaths in Westmoreland County through Saturday. Twenty-three of those deaths involved people in nursing homes or senior care facilities, state data show.

Statewide, nursing homes account for as many as two-thirds of 2,418 covid-19 deaths reported as of Saturday morning.

More than 4,700 people in Westmoreland County have tested negative for the coronavirus disease.

This story was updated May 3 to correct the number of deaths in Westmoreland County reported by the state.