State Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on Wednesday discussed the new term “long-haulers,” as well as her short-term expectations for the flu season and long-term expectations for a possible vaccine.

As of Wednesday, Pennsylvania has a recovery rate of 82 percent, according to data released by the state Department of Health.

Levine said the slowly increasing percentage shows fewer people are dying from the virus, but federal and international research is finding that some people are not truly recovering.

Levine pointed to a few studies and opinions, one of which came from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that talked about “long-haulers,” or those who experience a continued impact on their health due to their bout with COVID-19.

Levine said in most approximations about a third of people who were healthy heading into the virus are now suffering from or have acquired new long-term health conditions. She did not have data on Pennsylvanian “long-haulers.”

“There are hundreds of thousands of Americans who are COVID-19 long-haulers,” Levine said. “This is new information, and we're learning as we go along.”

According to the state Department of Health, Butler County has 19 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past two days with six on Tuesday and 13 on Wednesday. A total of 970 county residents have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the pandemic. The county's death toll remained at 25.

Meanwhile Butler Memorial Hospital has zero COVID-19 inpatients, a decrease of one from Butler Health System's update Monday.

Clarion Hospital has two patients hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms, one of whom is suspected of having the virus and the other with a confirmed case. Clarion is treating one of its inpatients in the intensive care unit.

BHS is encouraging its patients and the people in the community to get their annual flu shots. The flu season typically begins in October and extends through the winter with peak months in January and February.Levine said a coinciding of the two viruses has been inevitable. She said having a prevalence of both could bring many people to the hospital.“Cold weather with less humidity does impact the spreading of respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19,” Levine said. “I have concerns about a potential increase in cases as we enter the fall.”Levine said her department will continue carefully monitoring both viruses throughout the season and continue to promote flu vaccines, even as more talk is moving toward COVID-19 vaccines.Levine said her department has been developing its plans to distribute and administer the vaccine when a reliable version becomes available. She said it will likely involve targeted distribution for the first doses with distribution widening as the number of units increases.