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First COVID-19 case admitted to BMH

BC3 alerts students to first case of the virus

Officials with Butler Health System announced Monday afternoon that the regional health care system admitted its first inpatient case of the coronavirus at Butler Memorial Hospital.

Butler County's total cases of COVID-19 reached four people over the weekend. It was not clear from the information released by BHS if the individual admitted for treatment Monday was a new case or among the four reported over the weekend.

However, according to the most recent statistics provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health website, the number of cases in Butler County now stands at five.

“Based on the experiences of other communities, we know that more patients, inpatient and outpatient, will test positive,” Ken DeFurio, president and CEO of BHS, said in a statement issued by the health care system. “These patients will self-quarantine at home. However, there will continue to be some patients who require acute care and hospitalization.”

DeFurio assured the public the majority of cases will present mild symptoms and not require hospitalization. Jana Panther, BHS spokeswoman, added that not all Butler County residents tested for the virus have been tested through the regional health care system.

BHS deferred to the state DOH website, which updates the number of cases statewide, broken down by county, daily at noon.

DeFurio said the system will continue to serve the community and its patients.

“As we look forward, it is not necessary nor practical for organization-wide updates to be sent every time there is a positive case,” DeFurio said. “Otherwise, updates will be provided as necessary.”

As of Monday, the department is reporting 644 confirmed cases in the state.

The website also offers a county breakdown, where people can track Butler County's number of confirmed cases and death totals.

There have been no deaths attributed to the coronavirus at this time.

Also on Monday, Butler County Community College alerted the campus community that a student there reported to college officials they tested positive for COVID-19. According to the letter sent to students, the individual was last on campus on March 9.College officials notified students who attended classes with the individual, as well as the instructors who taught those classes. No other information was available about the student.

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