The state is urging college students to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to help protect family and friends before returning home for summer break.

Students should get vaccinated before the semester ends and they return home, Pennsylvania Department of Health Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said Monday.

“We are encouraging students to take advantage of local vaccination sites on or near their college campus, so they can protect themselves, their families, friends and loved ones from COVID-19 before returning home at the end of the semester,” Johnson said. “Our need to get people vaccinated is a race against the spread of COVID-19 and its variants, some of which are extremely contagious. We need to vaccinate all Pennsylvanians to prevent the further spread of this virus.”

From the weekend and Monday, the health department reported 128 new cases of the coronavirus in the county and 7,481 statewide, raising the county total to 10,715 and the state total to 1,158,486.

Butler Memorial Hospital is treating eight COVID-19 patients, including three in the intensive care unit.

Across the state, 2,161 people are hospitalized, including 479 in intensive care. The 14-day moving average number of people hospitalized per day is starting to come down after peaking at 2,661 patients, which is slightly below what it was at the height of the spring 2020 peak of 2,751 patients in May 2020.

In nursing and personal care homes, 70,763 residents and 14,811 employees have COVID-19. Of the deaths in the state, 13,111 have been residents of nursing or personal care facilities.

About 27,739 of the cases in the state are among health care workers.

The 58 new deaths in the state and one new death in the county raise the totals to 26,276 and 406, respectively.

A moving average of 88,000 people across the state are getting vaccinated every day, and 3,548,102 people are fully vaccinated.

A total 5,427,753 first and single doses and 3,548,102 second doses have been administered.

In the county, 21,671 people are partially vaccinated and 64,630 people are fully vaccinated.

The Butler Health System said all residents age 16 and older can sign up for vaccinations, and should do so because the coronavirus continues to spread in the community. Appointments can be scheduled at www.butlerhealthsystem.org. BHS is also accepting walk-ins at its vaccine clinics at the Clearview Mall and Clarion Hospital.