(Bloomberg) — About 462,000 people signed up for Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act coverage in the first week the federal enrollment system was open for business, the government said today, confirming a turnaround for the program in its second year.

The government released the first of what it said would be weekly snapshots of health insurance sign-ups for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in plans began Nov. 15 and ends Feb. 15. The tally only includes people who signed up for coverage through the federally run program, and 14 states run their own sign-up systems.

"It's still early and we have a long way to go but we're off to a solid start," the U.S. health secretary, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, said during a conference call with reporters.