Sep 2, 2020 2 min read

Twelve additional cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Washington County Tuesday, bringing the county’s total to 1,066 confirmed cases since it began spreading in the area in March.

The 12 new cases in Washington County were part of 770 additional cases of the coronavirus that were recorded in the commonwealth as of Tuesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Along with the dozen cases in Washington County, Allegheny County logged 29 new cases, plus four more deaths, bringing its overall case count to 10,376. Fayette County added two more cases, bringing its total to 694. The state’s health department reported no new cases in Greene County, with its number staying at 140.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 18 new deaths. Since March, 7,691 of the commonwealth’s residents have died as a result of COVID-19.

There were 163,092 tests administered across Pennsylvania between Aug. 25 and Aug. 31, with 4,551 positive cases.

Also on Tuesday, Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine and Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller announced that all assisted living residences, private intermediate care facilities and personal care homes licensed by the human services department have completed universal baseline COVID-19 testing.

The announcement comes two months after Levine issued a testing order directing that residents and staff of these facilities be tested by Aug. 31. Nursing facilities licensed by the Department of Health completed testing on July 24.

Of the 7,691 deaths in Pennsylvania attributed to COVID-19, 5,192 have been residents of nursing or personal care facilities, about 67% of the total deaths. Levine explained that many of the cases in the facilities were the result of staff unwittingly coming to work when they were asymptomatic and spreading it among residents.

Since the start of the pandemic, according to the state heath department, 60 residents of nursing and personal care homes in Washington County have tested positive, as have 14 staffers. Five people have died. In Greene County, two residents and two staffers have come down with the coronavirus, but there have been no deaths. In Fayette County, 18 residents and 15 staff members of these facilities have become infected, with one death resulting.

Levine said the health department would like to expand testing into other vulnerable communities.

“It’s really important to expand testing to minority communities,” she said.