More cases of UK COVID-19 variant reported in Allegheny County as overall cases continue to drop

PITTSBURGH — Three more cases of the U.K. COVID-19 variant have been reported in Allegheny County.

Despite that number, health department director Dr. Debra Bogen said it has been another week of “reassuring case numbers.” She said the daily case count has dropped to 150 cases per day on average, with a positivity rate of 5.5%.

“We know that this virus spreads when people gather,” Bogen said during a news conference.

As the region got an early taste of spring Wednesday with sunshine and warmer temperatures, she cautioned that people need to remain vigilant about stopping the spread of the virus. Bogen said gatherings around the Thanksgiving holiday led to massive surges in case counts and deaths in the late fall and early winter.

Bogen also said there is some excitement surrounding the potential for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

“I am hopeful that we will see the end of this pandemic sometime this year,” Bogen said.

The vaccine is only one dose and only requires standard refrigeration. Bogen said if it gets approved the FDA at a meeting later this week, there may be doses flowing to the area within a few weeks.

>>>RELATED: Johnson & Johnson vaccine has ‘favorable safety profile’ FDA documents say

“There’s a lot of optimism that things will improve,” said Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald.

Approval of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine could come this week

Cox Media Group