Butler Health System continues to encourage people to practice good hygiene as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

BHS spokeswoman Jana Panther said people should follow guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Health.

“Wash your hands frequently, don't touch your face and cover coughs and sneezes,” she said. “Maintain distance of 6 feet from others. If you feel sick, stay home.”

As of Wednesday morning, Butler Memorial Hospital has 17 hospitalized patients, 11 with a suspected case of COVID-19 and six with confirmed cases.

Five of these 17 patients are being treated in the hospital's intensive care unit.

BHS also gave statistics for Clarion Hospital, which has six patients, five with suspected cases and one with a confirmed case. Two of the six patients are being treated in the ICU.

<div style="width: 70%; background-color: beige; padding: 1.5em; margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto; font-size: 13.5px"><p> This article and other important coronavirus updates are being shared free and in full to the public. <a href="https://home.butlereagle.com/clickshare/addAccount.do">Support us by purchasing an online subscription</a> to help us as we do our part in keeping the community safe and informed.</p></div>

In addition to treating the virus, BHS continues to test for the virus daily. Through Tuesday, the hospital has run 1,176 total tests with 895 of those being done at its outdoor facility on Brady Street in Butler.Testing has yielded 53 positive results, and around 267 results are still pending.Also through Tuesday, Clarion Hospital has tested 213 patients to date with 171 tests done through its outdoor facility. Through testing, Clarion Hospital has three confirmed results with about 141 results still pending.“Faster test results are the highest priority,” Panther said.She said point-of-care lab testing, although high publicized, is still not available but would be added at BHS as soon as it is.Panther said supply availability is adequate at this time, but BHS continues to encourage donations of personal protective equipment. Those interested in donating, may contact the hospital through email at covid19donations@butlerhealthsystem.org.As of noon Wednesday, the state Department of Health reported 962 additional positive cases of the coronavirus since its last update Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 5,805 — including four new cases in Butler County. The report also said 42,427 patients statewide tested negative for the virus to date.Butler County's four new cases bring its total confirmed cases to 64, but its death toll remained at two, according to the state update.Its largest neighbor to the south, Allegheny County, reports 356 confirmed cases, a rise of 31 cases. Allegheny County's death toll also remained the same at two people.Based on the report, data for the surrounding counties is as follows: Westmoreland County, 72 confirmed cases; Beaver County, 54 confirmed cases and two death; Lawrence County; 13 confirmed cases and two deaths; Mercer County, eight confirmed cases; Armstrong County, five confirmed cases; Clarion County, four confirmed cases; and Venango County, three confirmed cases.