4 more coronavirus-related deaths reported in Westmoreland

Three more men and another woman have died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the death toll there to 24, officials said Monday.

Coroner Ken Bacha said three of the most recent deaths came from a personal care home where no deaths had been reported. The fourth death happened at a hospital intensive care unit after a person was transported from their home, he said.

Most of the county’s deaths are tied to nursing and personal care facilities. Bacha declined to identify them.

“I believe that’s going to be up to the state to do that,” he said.

The deaths were added to a total Bacha is providing on the coroner’s website. He is being notified of deaths related to the virus sooner than the state Department of Health. 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 state health department’s tally released Monday shows Westmoreland County recorded two more cases between Sunday and Monday for a total of 286 cases. The state has confirmed 16 deaths in the county. There have been 3,481 people who have tested negative for the virus, the state data shows.

The state health department only lists the number of nursing and personal care homes by county that have had confirmed cases and deaths. In Westmoreland, 81 residents and 21 workers have been sickened at four facilities.

Bethlen Communities has posted a weekly update of covid-19 cases at its nursing and personal care facilities in Ligonier. On Monday , it reported nine residents had contracted the virus at the Ligonier Gardens personal care home, four of whom had recovered.

Six Bethlen staff members — including four Ligonier Gardens employees — tested positive for the virus. Of those, five have recovered, including all the affected Ligonier Gardens staff.

The Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety added a member of the county’s Area Agency on Aging to its emergency operations center in an effort to better communicate with nursing and personal care homes, said director Roland “Bud” Mertz.

“We did that because of the lack of information we’re getting from the Department of Health,” he said.

That outreach helped the department quickly direct personal protection equipment to workers at nursing homes where cases are reported before panic sets in. Notifications for the need can be rushed to the state, Mertz said. He also declined to identify the facilities.

“It’s a practice that has been very beneficial,” he said. “We’re not getting blindsided for the last minute. Our goal here is to help protect the workers to help reduce the spread.”

Beaver County officials on Thursday expressed frustration with communication from state agencies regarding the number of cases at nursing and personal care facilities there.

In Westmoreland, 13 men and 11 women between ages 61 and 109 have died. All were white, according to the coroner’s figures.