Despite an initial rush of COVID-19 cases, UPMC officials indicated Wednesday “the curve” appears to be flattened, making it safe for hospitals to perform more elective procedures.

“We seemed to have a pretty big surge early on, and we had maybe a larger number of COVID-positive patients in the northern communities present for hospitalization,” said Dr. Jim Boyle, UPMC Passavant vice president of medical affairs. “Since that time, though, the number of patients coming in that are COVID-positive is actually extremely low.”

This week, UPMC Passavant-Cranberry opened its operating room for more elective procedures in alignment with state and federal guidelines.

Preventive health services are starting to be performed at the facility, including colonoscopies, joint replacements and cancer screenings. Medically necessary elective procedures — such as cancer diagnoses, tumor removal and coronary bypasses — have been performed through the pandemic.

Susan Hoolahan, president of UPMC Passavant, said both Passavant facilities — Cranberry and McCandless — are following the same safety protocols as the rest of the UPMC network.

“It really allows us to safely resume surgical care for our patients while we protect our employees at the same time,” Hoolahan said.

To allay patient fears, waiting rooms are not crowded, masks are mandatory, visitation is restricted and all patients, including asymptomatic ones, are tested for COVID-19.

Boyle said the coronavirus test UPMC developed is highly sensitive — about 90 percent or more sensitivity — meaning only a small number of its results are false negatives.

And while the virus hasn't ravaged Butler County, patients needing medical care tend to shy away from going to the hospital, Hoolahan pointed out.

“We've been seeing some patients that are quite ill coming in that have been at home, sick, for some time, and it's really imperative that people seek and use our health care system,” Hoolahan said.

She further stressed that people should not be afraid of hospitals or medical facilities during COVID-19, and added she's seen patients who have unnecessarily delayed care.

“We want people in the community to remain healthy, and part of that is preventing illness and disease progression,” she said. “Delaying care for fear of coming into the hospital, at this point, is not wise.”