December has become the deadliest month for the Butler Memorial Hospital due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
As we close out December, our records indicate 37 people have died from COVID-19 in this month alone at the hospital. Comparing that number to last month, there were 21 deaths for the entire month of November.
December was also the month in which Butler Memorial saw the most deaths in a day. On December 22, 2020, the Butler Health System reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health that 7 individuals had died in just that day alone at the hospital. Data has shown that the numbers of deaths in one day have ranged from 1-3; those are not on consecutive days.
Doctors at Butler Memorial Hospital say they have better treatment for COVID-19 patients now than at the beginning of the pandemic, but data also shows an increase in hospitalization at the same time. Our records indicate a trend in the increase in hospitalizations starting in early November and have steadily climbed reaching a high of 65 people Wednesday.
Our newsroom receives data directly from the Butler Health System a few days per weeks outlining the number of COVID-19 patients the hospital is treating as well as the number of individuals who have passed from COVID-19.