Pa. has given 4M COVID-19 vaccinations, but cases are ticking up. Local,

Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 infections are being reported at a higher rate after weeks of decline as the state Department of Health on Friday reported 3,455 new cases and 35 additionaldeaths from the virus.

Since January, the commonwealth followed a national trend of declining infections. But Pennsylvania’s cases have remained at a relatively stable, yet higher, rate for the past few weeks, with the state seeing 14,182 cases of the virus betweenMarch 12 and 18.

That number represents an increase of almost 1,400 new cases compared with the previous sevenday period of 12,802 cases of COVID-19, according to state Departmentof Health data.

The cases also come as the state’s positivity rate — the percentage of people who test positive for the virus after getting the swab — rose this week to 6.5% from 5.7%.

Average daily hospitalizations from the virus, meanwhile, continue to decline. The number now stands at 1,479, down from 1,514 the week prior. Changes in hospitalizations and deaths typically trail movementin cases.

Gov. Tom Wolf last week said hospitalizations were something hewas looking at as they continued to come down. “The moving average is coming down very nicely,” he said at a virtual briefing last weekwhen asked what data he was trackingamid the vaccine rollout.

On Friday, Mr. Wolf’s administration announced the state had administered more than 4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The announcement, coming just 10 days after the state hit the 3 million mark, is an indicator of the acceleration of the vaccine rollout.

The governor also said all 94,600 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine allocated to Pennsylvania and earmarked for school staff will be administered by the end of the weekend.

Nearly 84,000 doses of the singleshot vaccine had been administered statewideas of Friday morning.

The Johnson & Johnson rollout prioritized elementary staff and those who work with vulnerable students, but the state said the “vast majority” of school employees who

want to be immunized will be able to receive a vaccine by theend of the month.

The state said it secured another 13,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson last week — bringing the total to 107,600 — and planned to request13,000 more next week.

“This special vaccination initiative is moving incredibly swiftly thanks to the tremendous work of the intermediate units, school districts, National Guard and state agencies,” Mr. Wolf said in a statement. “This has been an incredibly challenging year, and the success of these vaccine clinics is another reminder that Pennsylvanians are rising to the challenge.”

Allegheny County accounts for nearly 337,000 of the Pennsylvanians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state Department of Health; some vaccine brands require two doses.

The Allegheny County Health Department on Friday reported 346 new cases of COVID-19.

Of the new cases, 226 are confirmed and 120 are probable positives, the department said. Newly infected people range in age from 9 months to 92 years.

No new virus deaths were reported in the county, which has seen 81,287 cases of COVID-19 and 1,735 deaths since March 2020.