On Wednesday, the deaths of six Butler County residents due to COVID-19 were reported.

The county also saw 123 new confirmed cases added Wednesday, according to the daily report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 156 county residents have died because of COVID-19 and 5,600 residents have tested positive for the virus.

As part of its regular update, Butler Health System reported reduced intensive care use at Butler Memorial Hospital along with the deaths of seven patients since Monday's report.

As of Wednesday, Butler Memorial has 54 COVID-19 patients hospitalized. Five of those patients are being treated in the intensive care unit, which is six less than reported Monday.

It was not noted in the report whether all seven deaths came from the intensive care unit, but all seven deaths were reported to the Department of Health on Tuesday.

The Department of Health attributes a person's death to the county designated as the deceased's permanent residence. If a person dies in Butler County, but his or her permanent residence is listed in another county, they will be attributed to that county's death toll.

In a news conference Wednesday, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the state has been trending in a positive direction in terms of case counts. “It is in really every area of the state, and I think that's a very positive thing,” she said.

The state added 9,605 new confirmed cases Wednesday. Levine also said a decrease of percent positivity from 16.1% to 15.8% over the past two weeks is a good sign.

However, Levine also warned that residents need to continue abiding by recent restrictions and orders imposed by herself and Gov. Tom Wolf. She said people also should continue practicing proper mitigation on their own by wearing a mask, washing their hands and social distancing by at least 6 feet when possible.

For weeks, state officials have also called on residents to stay at home for the holidays and to avoid travel and social gatherings of any size. “That's what we need to do to stop the spread and make sure we don't have another rebound in January due to the holidays,” Levine said. “We have to stay the course.”