The state's recovery rate may be a mystery, but Butler County still rose above 1,000 positive coronavirus cases over the weekend.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has reported a recovery rate of 82% consistently since early September.

At the end of July, the department reported a recovery rate of about 75%, which steadily increased until early September when it reached 82%. It has since remained relatively unchanged with the exception of some 1% increases or decreases that reverted quickly afterward.

As described in its reports, the Department of Health determines the recovery rate based on a calculation similar to other states. If a person who tests positive for COVID-19 survives more than 30 days after their diagnosis or when their symptoms appear, they are considered recovered.

With this in mind, on Sept. 5 the Department of Health reported a statewide total of 138,625 positive cases. Monday's statewide, confirmed COVID-19 deaths of 8,277 account for 6% of that Sept. 5 total. This would put the recovery rate at about 94%.

According to Maggi Mumma, deputy press secretary for the Department of Health, the problem with the calculation is the statewide total isn't necessarily the number they use.

“There is one missing factor, which is that someone could test positive more than once,” said Mumma in an email Monday.

The inclusion of one person being counted multiple times has been a point of concern for Pennsylvanians throughout the pandemic. The Department of Health and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine have said in the past that the statewide total does not include multiple tests for one person.

In early July, the Butler Eagle inquired about the anomaly — and on July 7, Nate Wardle, press secretary for the Department of Health, responded by email.

“No, no truth to people counted twice,” he said. “If someone tests positive three times, they only count as one positive case.”

When asked for further confirmation of this matter, the Department of Health did not immediately respond Monday afternoon.

According to Monday's report by the Department of Health, the county added 30 new confirmed cases since Friday's update.Since the beginning of the pandemic, 1,024 county residents have tested positive for the virus. Twenty-five have died.The state also released another weekly update Monday based on information gathered through its COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard. “Our percent positivity and incidence rate for the commonwealth both increased this week, which serves as a reminder the virus still remains a threat in our communities,” said Gov. Tom Wolf in the news release. “Together, we can unite as Pennsylvanians and work to prevent the spread of the virus.”The update reaffirmed Butler County would remain in the moderate-level of community infection risk based on its percent-positivity rate.According to the dashboard, Butler County during the week spanning from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1 had 21 more new confirmed cases than the week before. The dashboard listed the county's percent positivity rate at 3.1%, an increase of 0.3%.The dashboard also showed about 1.5% of hospital emergency visits in the county during that time period were from COVID-19-like illness.Butler Health System on Monday reported lower inpatient numbers at Butler Memorial Hospital. The hospital had one hospitalized patient Monday, a decrease of three. The patient is suspected of having the virus, but has not yet tested positive, and is not being treated in the intensive care unit.

BHS has continued to advocate for county residents to receive flu shots as state officials warn of further complications with the coinciding viruses.State officials conducted a news conference Monday about the matter.“This flu season leaves a lot of unknowns. One thing we do know (is) that flu vaccine works and protects you from becoming sick,” said Sarah Boateng, executive deputy secretary of the Department of Health.Boateng received her flu vaccine in front of reporters at the news conference.“Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself from the flu,” she said. “It'll also protect your families, your friends, your coworkers and your community.”Cindy Wheeler, interim chief of infectious diseases for Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, said getting flu shots also protects frontline workers, who are at risk of contracting COVID-19, the flu and many other diseases on a daily basis.Wheeler also reiterated that the same high-risk demographic for COVID-19 is similar to the high-risk group for the flu, including the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.“When it doesn't actually prevent the flu, it will decrease the severity of someone's illness, and it can lower the mortality rate of influenza,” she said.Wheeler also said COVID-19 adds unknowns into the mix. “It is possible for people to get influenza and COVID-19 at the same time, but so far there's not a lot known about these co-infections and if co-infection will increase the severity of either disease,” Wheeler said.In a news release Monday, Levine said people should be wary of the viruses, but they should seek care.The flu season began in late September and will likely peak between the months of January and February.Levine said there is still time for people to protect themselves. She said people should get vaccinated preferably before the end of October, before the flu season ramps up. “It is still safe to visit your doctor's office, pharmacy, local walk-in clinic or grocery store to get your flu vaccine,” Levine said. “The vaccine process is quick, easy and helps protect not only yourself, but anyone you may come into contact with this flu season.”