Butler Memorial reported fewer people hospitalized but also more deaths related to COVID-19.

According to a report Friday by Butler Health System, Butler Memorial staff is treating 28 inpatients, all of whom have tested positive for the virus. Four are in the intensive care unit.

Despite the decrease of seven inpatients since Wednesday's report, Butler Memorial reported two people died Thursday.

Deaths reported at Butler Health System are forwarded to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which then attributes them to the deceased's county of permanent residence.

According to Department of Health data Friday, the county officially added two more deaths to its toll. The county also added 57 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 2,503 county residents have tested positive and 54 people have died from of the virus.

Message of safety

In a statement Friday, BHS spokeswoman Jana Panther said the system supported an open letter jointly written and released the same day by the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association.

“The message is not new and is consistent with what BHS has been saying to the community for months,” Panther said. “We must continue to drive home a message of safety.”

The letter concerned holiday gatherings and celebrations, encouraging safety and pandemic precautions.

“We are all weary and empathize with the desire to celebrate the holidays with family and friends, but given the serious risks, we underscore how important it is to wear masks, maintain physical distancing and wash your hands,” the letter said.

The letter again emphasized the importance of the community following mitigation practices.

“We must protect the doctors, nurses and other caregivers who have tirelessly battled this virus for months,” the letter said. “You can do your part to ensure they can continue to care for you and your loved ones.”

Antibodies treatment

Also Friday, state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine released a statement about a new COVID-19 therapy being distributed to health care systems across the state.

The federal government will be distributing monoclonal antibodies for use in treating COVID-19. The antibodies are proteins built in a laboratory that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful antigens, like COVID-19.

“The department will determine which health care systems receive allocations based upon county case counts,” Levine said. “Then, the federal government will distribute the antibodies to the respective health care systems to further help communities struggling with the spread of COVID-19.”

Once delivered, it will be the system's responsibility to ensure that patients who meet the criteria will be able to receive the treatment in a range of different distribution settings.

Health care systems will determine eligibility for the antibodies based on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization guidelines.

“Monoclonal antibodies may provide short term protection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus for appropriate COVID-19 patients,” Levine said.