PHOTO BY DAVE DICELLO

A steady decline in cases of COVID-19 combined with a slowly increasing rate of vaccinations has Allegheny County officials sounding more upbeat than they have in a long time about the pandemic.

“We continue to see good levels of drop,” County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said at a briefing Wednesday. “There’s a lot of optimism as things continue to move forward.”

The county’s test positivity rate is down to 5.5% and the average daily case count down has dropped to 150. The number of hospitalizations has also fallen. Three cases of the U.K. COVID-19 variant have been confirmed in the county and Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen says that is reason enough for everyone not to assume that the pandemic is over.

“As Allegheny County prepares to leave winter behind, I know there are plans for events, gatherings, weddings, parties, get-togethers,” Bogen says. “We want to make sure people meet safely to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Statewide, more than 2 million people have been vaccinated and the state senate has approved a bill that would allow the National Guard to help administer more shots. The bill now goes to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature.