Butler Health System is encouraging residents to schedule appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations on dates when they are eligible to receive them.

BHS changed its approach to scheduling after the Pennsylvania Department of Health recently announced that everybody in group 1A of the state's phased vaccination plan as well as law enforcement workers, firefighters, grocery workers and food and agriculture workers who haven't been vaccinated yet can do so immediately.

Residents in group 1B, which includes postal workers, clergy, transit employees, child and adult day program workers and people in congregate settings can begin scheduling appointments April 5.

Group 1C, which includes residents working in transportation, water and wastewater workers, housing construction, finance and banks, information technology, media, energy, legal services and in federal, state and local government, can begin scheduling appointments April 12.

School teachers are being vaccinated through intermediate units across the state.

All residents can begin scheduling appointments April 19.

The health department said 5,433,298 doses of vaccine have been administered, including 3,633,175 first and single doses and 1,800,123 second doses.

In the county, 19,464 people have been partially vaccinated and 42,920 people have been fully vaccinated.

The health department reported 48 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the county, but no new deaths, Friday.

The new cases increase the total to 9,779 residents of the county's 187,853 population having COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Statewide, 4,656 new cases raise the total to 1,033,406, and 28 new deaths brings the total to 25,148 since the pandemic began.

There are 2,127 people hospitalized, including 435 patients in intensive care. The 14-day moving average number of people hospitalized per day is about 4,300 lower than it was at the peak in December 2020 and below what it was at the height of the spring peak in May 2020. However, the average number of people hospitalized is increasing, the department said.

In licensed nursing and personal care homes in the state, 69,366 residents and 14,293 employees have COVID-19. Of the deaths reported, 12,943 have been residents of nursing or personal care facilities.

About 26,548 of the cases in the state are among health care workers.

The following numbers on the coronavirus pandemic were compiled from regular news releases from the state Department of Health and the Butler Health System.COVID-19 statistics from Friday are:<b>Butler County</b>Confirmed cases: 9,779Probable cases: 5,592Negative tests: 48,967Deaths: 386<b>Butler Memorial Hospital</b>Inpatients: 16Suspected: 0Confirmed: 16ICU: 3Total tests: 43,369Outdoor tests: 17,295Positive tests: 3,061<b>Clarion Hospital</b>Inpatients: 1Suspected: 0Confirmed: 1ICU: 0Total tests: 12,623Outdoor tests: 10,691Positive tests: 2,012<b>Pennsylvania</b>New cases: 4,656Total cases: 1,033,406New deaths: 28Total deaths: 25,148Recovered: 91%<b>Surrounding Counties</b>Allegheny: 66,716 confirmed cases; 382,081 negative; and 1,820 deathsArmstrong: 4,081 confirmed; 15,699 negative; and 120 deathsBeaver: 11,072 confirmed; 47,998 negative; and 359 deathsClarion: 1,821 confirmed; 1,821 negative; and 88 deathsLawrence: 4,916 confirmed; 19,128 negative; and 195 deathsMercer: 6,746 confirmed; 28,302 negative; and 248 deathsVenango: 2,832 confirmed; 11,046 negative; and 90 deathsWestmoreland: 20,357 confirmed; 91,348 negative; and 706 deaths