Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen pledged that the region’s vaccine distribution is on track to ramp up as 2021 begins.

“We’ve now got a rhythm and we’re getting faster,” Bogen said during a virtual news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Bogen shrugged off criticism over the local pace of administering vaccines, with much of the nation trailing behind vaccination targets.

“I know that people are frustrated that the rollout has been slow, but it also has to be careful and intentional … and it takes a while to build the systems,” Bogen said.

“I’m actually really optimistic,” Bogen said. “After the new year starts, you’ll see that the vaccination efforts will really kick into gear, and our efficiency and effectiveness at distributing them will get better and better.”

In the past week, the Allegheny County Health Department vaccinated about 500 people — including workers at urgent care centers and the Allegheny County Jail and county Medical Examiner’s Office. Vaccines also were given to people who work with the homeless and alternative housing.

Including vaccines administered by private health care providers, a total of nearly 8,600 county residents received their first vaccine doses by Tuesday. The vast majority have gone to health care workers and long-term care facilities.

Bogen described being among those who administered the first wave of covid-19 vaccines on Christmas Eve as an “amazing experience.”

“It was like giving a Christmas present for those who came to the clinic that rainy day,” Bogen said.

Masks, distancing still vital

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald cautioned the public not to let their guard down because of Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement earlier in the day to lift some covid-related restrictions starting next week.

“Just because the restrictions are easing doesn’t mean the virus is gone,” Fitzgerald said. “People still need to wear masks and physically and socially distance.”

Like Pittsburgh and state officials, both Bogen and Fitzgerald expressed concerns over the potential for spread at New Year’s Eve celebrations.

“If you do gather, wear masks, keep gatherings very, very small, like mostly your family household,” Bogen said. “To say 2020 has been hard really is an understatement. We have a lot to look forward to in 2021, including the opportunity to celebrate these and other holidays like we are accustomed to.”

They also lamented that certain restaurants across the county have become “frequent bad actors” by defying violation orders and repeatedly failing follow-up inspections. Those repeat offenders include restaurants in Springdale Township, Harmar, Mt. Lebanon, Castle Shannon, Bethel Park and Penn Hills.

RELATED: Alle-Kiski Valley restaurants continue to defy governor’s order suspending indoor dining

Restaurants that break pandemic-spurred rules could face fines and risk losing liquor licenses or permits.

“It’s not about punishing kids who want to play sports or restaurant owners who want to run their establishments, it’s about keeping people safe,” Fitzgerald said.

Among those ordered to close recently: Tailgaters Lounge and Grill in Harmar and David’s Diner in Springdale Township. Representatives of the restaurants could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.

During a bustling day of indoor patrons last week, the owner of David’s Diner co-owner Lisa Speer told the Tribune-Review that she had no intention of losing the business she was counting on the weekend before Christmas.

“Please don’t patronize restaurants that are defying the state’s order or health department’s order,” Bogen said. “There are hundreds of establishments throughout the county that are doing the right thing, that have closed their indoor dining and have set up thoughtful, safe, outdoor seating and robust takeout orders. These are the restaurants that should be getting our attention, not the few bad actors.”

According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are 761 Allegheny County residents currently hospitalized for the virus. There are 184 of them in the intensive care unit and 91 on respirators.

The average number of covid-19 patients in county hospitals has dropped nearly 10% since a week ago, county data show. The percent positivity rate has dropped by 1%, to 14.6%. Health officials have cited the goal of a positivity rate of less than 5%.

Allegheny County has recorded a total of nearly 53,000 covid-19 cases and 945 deaths.

Statewide, nearly 9,000 new cases of covid-19 and 319 deaths were reported Wednesday. They included 525 new cases and 47 deaths reported in Allegheny County, and 215 new cases and 15 deaths in Westmoreland County. Of the newly reported deaths, 317 were from December, two were from November.

Nearly 15,700 Pennsylvanians have died of covid-19 — a 48% increase from the beginning of December, state data show.

Bogen noted that Wednesday’s virtual news conference focused on covid-19 updates marked the county’s final such briefing of 2020.

The next update is scheduled for Jan. 6.

RELATED: Pittsburgh officials to New Year’s revelers: Stay home this year

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