Five more county residents were reported dead from COVID-19 in Thursday's state data.

In an email Wednesday, Maggi Barton, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, said the number of deaths across the state remains high, but new case numbers and hospitalization rates are falling.

Barton said she expects the number of deaths to slow in the coming weeks as a result of the slowing spread of the virus.

“It is a constant reminder that this is a deadly virus, and that we must continue to wear a mask, wash hands, social distance and avoid even small gatherings,” Barton said.

According to Thursday's report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the county has a COVID-19 death toll of 322. The addition Thursday was higher than the seven-day average of about two deaths per day.

However, the county's average number of deaths over the past seven days has decreased from the week before, when it was about three deaths per day.

The report also showed a new addition of 41 confirmed cases to the county's data.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 8,183 county residents have tested positive for the virus.

The past seven days have set a new pace for new cases in the county, with an average daily addition of about 33 confirmed cases. From Jan. 15 to 21, the county averaged about 52 new cases per day.

While the county's new case numbers have plateaued, the statewide figures have been rising incrementally over the past five days.

On Sunday, the state added, 3,934; on Monday, 3,976; on Tuesday, 4,628; and on Wednesday, 5,874.

On Thursday, the state added 6,036 new confirmed cases along with 198 new deaths.

The state's death reports have largely fluctuated throughout the pandemic with record-breaking numbers coming this month. The state has averaged about 140 new deaths per day over the past seven days, which was a decrease from 167 per day the week before.