All of Pennsylvania's skilled nursing facilities — including those in Butler County— finished complying with Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine's universal testing orders.

“This was an essential step to ensure that we further protect residents and staff within these vulnerable communities,” Levine said.

The announcement was a major part of Levine's live briefing Tuesday regarding the status of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Tuesday's report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, to date there have been 13 facilities in Butler County that had COVID-19 cases. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 21 cases in residents of long-term care facilities and 15 cases in employees. Two residents of these facilities have died due to COVID-19 complications.

On June 8, Levine ordered the testing of every staff member and resident in more than 1,900 skilled nursing facilities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and offer a baseline for future decisions, including when visitation may be allowed.

Levine said Tuesday the testing becomes more important as the state tries to combat a recent resurgence with COVID-19 while also trying to remain open and active.

According to Tuesday's report, Butler County added 16 new confirmed cases to its total. The county has had a total of 530 confirmed cases of the virus since the pandemic began.

The county's death toll remained at 14.

Despite the pandemic's resurgence, many families continue to struggle with the continued lack of visitation of their loved ones.

The above article is an excerpt from a larger article about the press conference that will appear in Wednesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article. The following numbers on the coronavirus pandemic were compiled from regular news releases from the state Department of Health. State numbers are compiled based on information submitted to the Department of Health by 11:59 p.m. the previous night.

Tuesday's COVID-19 statistics:

Confirmed cases: 530Probable cases: 47Negative tests: 11,522Deaths: 14

New cases: 839Total cases: 106,331New deaths: 24Total deaths: 7,146Recovered: 75 percent

Allegheny: 7,373 confirmed cases; 103,350 negative; and 223 deathsArmstrong: 168 confirmed; 3,572 negative; and 6 deathsBeaver: 1,132 confirmed; 10,597 negative; and 85 deathsClarion: 69 confirmed; 1,716 negative; and 2 deathsLawrence: 270 confirmed; 4,576 negative; and 11 deathsMercer: 263 confirmed; 6,863 negative; and 9 deathsVenango: 43 confirmed and 2,582 negativeWestmoreland: 1,289 confirmed; 27,801 negative; and 44 deaths.