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Butler County surpassed 500 COVID-19 deaths this week, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The department reported 501 deaths for the county as of Tuesday. It also reported 25,009 total confirmed and probable positive cases of COVID-19 in the county since March 2020, for about 13,313 cases per 100,000 people.
Comparatively, Beaver County has reported 472 deaths so far, and 22,281 probable and confirmed positive cases, or about 13,531 positive cases per 100,000 people. Allegheny County has reported 2,332 deaths, with 131,420 total probable and confirmed positive cases, or about 10,807 per 100,000 people.
Butler Health System has been responsible for reporting the deaths of people in its care since the beginning; one death was reported Monday.
Karen Allen, chief nursing officer at Butler Health System, said seeing the number of deaths reach 500 in the county is difficult to process, but she and the staff at the hospital have felt the magnitude of that number.
“It has taken a lot of emotional toll on everybody,” Allen said. “We have three units we have COVID patients in and we ask staff, 'Are you OK?' And they just start crying.”
Butler County Coroner Bill Young said the pandemic hasn't affected the duties of his office. However, recording deaths related to COVID-19 can be complicated when reporting the death of someone from out-of-county.
“If you are from Allegheny and die in Butler, it's my case,” Young said. “But when the state needs to report it, that's an Allegheny death.”
Continued community spread
Allen said the numerous COVID-19 patients who have been admitted to the intensive care unit have been spread out over the past year-and-a-half, so the staff has faced three distinctive waves of increased patient volume. The first wave came in March and April 2020, and the hospital had about 20 patients at a time.
That number declined to about three or four at a time until the second wave hit around November 2020, and the hospital had about 70 patients in intensive care until January.
The most recent third wave came this September, and the hospital had about 60 patients in intensive care for some time, but has been hovering around the mid-40s this week.
“I think the delta variant is playing a big role in the most recent wave,” Allen said. “It's much more contagious, and I think people have kind of relaxed their social distancing and masking. People are also going to more gatherings and weddings, and all those gatherings weren't really happening before.” Allen said many people who are admitted to the ICU with COVID-19 eventually walk out, and many more people don't have symptoms that would land them there in the first place. However, their condition can be difficult to treat, especially those who are not vaccinated for COVID-19.
About 85% to 90% of the patients who land in the ICU are unvaccinated, according to Allen, and many recently are under the age of 60. She said individuals age 65 and up have the highest vaccination rates in Butler County, so the majority of ICU patients are of younger demographics.
And no matter the age, the symptoms of COVID-19 can be debilitating.
“We do see much younger patients this go around; we have seen a lot more 30-, 40- and 50-year-olds in the ER,” Allen said. “We see a disease progression difference in vaccinated and unvaccinated folks. We are seeing the unvaccinated have oxygen needs rise more quickly.”
Hospitals have adapted services over the past year-and-a-half to account for an increase in demand. Allen said this influx has affected people who visit the hospital without COVID-19 as well.
“All these beds that we had for emergency are now being taken up with patients who had COVID,” Allen said. “So, we have long wait times in ER, longer than normal; surgeries had to be canceled because we didn't have any room, and trying to transport patients to other hospitals was impossible because they were full too.”
Impact on staff
Allen said staff members at Butler Memorial Hospital have been afflicted with COVID-19, but transmission normally comes from outside the hospital. Masks are still required to be worn in hospitals by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While each wave of patients has been more difficult than the last, Allen said the hospital staff have been strong to carry on, and the outpouring of community support has been uplifting.
“We have also seen some amazing teamwork and support with each other,” Allen said. “Everybody keeps going; it's just an amazing staff.”
The atmosphere in the hospital created by the crunch of patients has left images burned into Allen's mind. She recalled seeing nurses speaking with COVID-19 patients via video calls and family members unable to make physical contact with their dying loved ones.
“You care about these people and you are trying to save their lives and you just can't,” Allen said. “A few months ago, we had employees who were sick and emotions were high and everybody we came in contact with was extremely emotional. We got to a door and opened it and someone was just crying on the floor.”
