Four more county residents have died because of COVID-19, and 82 new confirmed cases were added Tuesday.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 6,716 county residents have tested positive for COVID-19, and 208 residents have died from the virus, according to Tuesday's data released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Butler County, like much of the state and country, has struggled since November with new case counts and deaths.

On Nov. 1, the county had 28 residents who had died because of COVID-19. Since then, the county has experienced a consistent number of deaths, averaging 2.7 per day.

Since Nov. 1, the county has averaged a new daily count of about 78 confirmed cases per day. From its first reported case on March 21 to Oct. 31, the county averaged about six new confirmed cases per day.

In its Tuesday release, the state reported 185 new deaths statewide because of COVID-19 and 8,818 new confirmed cases of the virus. The continuation of heightened case numbers and levels of community spread demonstrate the need for further focus on testing and contact tracing efforts, according to Michael Huff, director of testing and contact tracing for the state Department of Health, who spoke at a news conference on Tuesday.

“To date, over 8.3 million test results have been received in Pennsylvania,” Huff said. “Our approach to COVID-19 testing reflects the current reality and our commitment to keeping our community safe.”

In 2020, the department hired more than 1,000 contact tracers, according to Lindsey Mauldin, special assistant on contact tracing for the Department of Health. “We've seen the number of folks refusing to quarantine go down, especially over the last few weeks,” she said.

Mauldin said the department will continue focusing its case investigation efforts on the most at-risk populations and settings since contact tracing for such high statewide case volumes would be impossible.

She said the department also plans to use additional funding in 2021 to bolster its contact tracing programs, including adding further support for the Connect and Protect form, which is a virtual form that allows COVID-19-positive residents to fill out their own case investigation information online.

“The Connect and Protect form is another layer for us to be able to collect information from folks,” Mauldin said.

For those who do not have access to the internet, accommodations by phone are being conducted. Participation in contact tracing efforts continues to hover at about 50%. “We continue to ask Pennsylvanians to answer the call, even as we begin a new year in this pandemic,” Mauldin said. “Answer the call to protect your community by completing the case investigation.”