The Allegheny County Health Department is reporting the number of new coronavirus cases has dipped below 300, with one additional death. That's a slight improvement over the last report.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald shared even more good news with Marty Griffin on Newsradio KDKA.
"I'm very proud of the fact that we're about 57 percent in Allegheny County of at least getting one shot", he says.
33 percent of that population is fully vaccinated while 84 percent of people 65 and older have at least one shot. Statewide, nearly 7 and a half million people have gotten at least one shot, with more than 2.8 million considered fully vaccinated. Fitzgerald is encouraging people to keep getting vaccinated.
"There are so many incentives to do it, but to me, the biggest incentive is your own health, your family's health and the freedom that we get with the vaccine".
Despite the pleas of health experts, there's a disturbing trend underway among states like Iowa and Texas, where they are sending vaccines back to the federal government because they can't use them, with many folks simply refusing to get vaccinated. Fitzgerald tells Marty it's a frustrating situation.
"It's happening here as well. It's not as bad as in other places, but there are people refusing".
Vaccination rates are down 11 percent nationwide.
