As the state sees another spike in COVID-19 deaths, Butler County remains at a steady pace in positive cases without an increase in its number of deaths.

According to the state Department of Health's report, there were 119 new deaths attributed to COVID-19 Tuesday as opposed to just 47 new deaths Monday. Butler County's deaths remain at six, while its number of new cases rose by four.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine acknowledged that Tuesdays have consistently provided higher numbers of deaths reported than Mondays, explaining the spike is likely due to a lag in weekend reporting.

“It's hard for me to predict in the future if that trend will continue, but it certainly has been a pattern,” Levine said.

While some dispute the state-reported data, Levine said the state continues to consolidate information from an array of sources, including hospitals, nursing homes, county departments and coroners.

“Collecting all of that is a challenge,” she said. “Overall our epidemiologists and disease investigators and detectives are doing a great job.”

On Monday, Butler Health System received guidance on how to resume elective services from the Department of Health that follows a joint statement issued by the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and the American Hospital Association.

BHS's Reopening Steering Committee is reviewing the material this week, according to system spokeswoman Jana Panther.

“The steering committee will apply this guidance to BHS's policies and procedures as surgeries and procedures resume,” Panther said.

Many are anticipating the May 8 date set by Gov. Tom Wolf for the reopening of some regions and counties using his three-tiered, color-coded system. Areas all start in zones colored red, but can move into yellow and green, which allows for the lifting of some restrictions on businesses and residents.

One point of measurement under discussion by state officials — although not the only benchmark being explored — is that an area would have to have fewer than 50 cases per 100,000 residents. While not the only metric under consideration, Levine did stress it would be difficult to see a region reopening without passing that bar.

State officials are expected to provide more information Friday, according to Levine, which will coincide with the reopening of some outdoor recreation activities statewide, including golf courses and private campgrounds.

However, Levine also warned residents to remain vigilant while they wait for additional information.

“As we see the number of new COVID-19 cases continuously change across the state that does not mean we can stop practicing social distancing,” Levine stressed. “We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families and our community.”

The following data about the coronavirus pandemic are compiled daily from the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s website and regular releases from Butler Health System.Tuesday’s COVID-19 statistics are as follows:Butler CountyConfirmed cases: 174Negative tests: 2,066Deaths: 6County positives by Zip16001: 4816002: 1016023: 1 to 416025: 1 to 416027: 1 to 416033: 716037: 1 to 416038: 1 to 416041: 1 to 416045: 1 to 416046: 916049: 716051: 1 to 416053: 1 to 416055: 1316056: 516057: 616059: 716061: 1 to 416063: 1016066: 2416037: 1 to 416127: 916229: 516262: 1 to 416373: 1 to 4PennsylvaniaNew cases: 1,214,Total cases: 43,264New deaths: 119Total deaths: 1,597Negative tests: 165,824Butler Memorial HospitalInpatients: 10Suspected: 5Confirmed: 5ICU: 0Total tests: 2,576Outdoor tests: 1,878Positive tests: 201Clarion HospitalInpatients: 2Suspected: 0Confirmed: 2ICU: 1Total tests: 570Outdoor tests: 462Positive tests: 21Surrounding CountiesAllegheny: 1,235 confirmed cases, 15,004 negative test results, and 87 deathsWestmoreland: 383 confirmed, 4,280 negative, and 20 deathsBeaver: 388 confirmed, 1,905 negative, and 59deathsLawrence: 63 confirmed, 681 negative, and 5 deathsMercer: 66 confirmed, 673 negative, and 1 deathArmstrong: 50 confirmed, 624 negative, and 2 deathsClarion: 23 confirmed, 466 negative, and 1 deathVenango: 7 confirmed and 235 negative*The total cases includes confirmed and probable cases.*The total deaths and new deaths include only confirmed deaths, which is a person who tested positive for the virus before their death.