February ends with drop in COVID-19 cases, deaths

For just the second time since late July, state health officials on Sunday reported fewer than 1,250 new and confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19.

The 1,249 cases announced Sunday by the Illinois Department of Public Health is the second lowest daily total since July 28, when 1,076 cases were confirmed. The state reported 1,246 cases last Monday, Feb. 22.

It has been common throughout the pandemic for case totals to be lower on Sundays and Mondays, however, as test reporting slows over weekends.

The state also reported 22 more deaths from the coronavirus, including eight Cook County residents, two from DuPage County and one each from Kane and Will counties. It is the third-lowest single-day death toll this month.

The new cases bring the state's total to 1,186,696 since the pandemic began, 20,516 of them fatal.

Officials said 79,266 doses of vaccine were administered Saturday in Illinois, right about at the 7-day rolling average of 79,140 per day. In all, 2,705,934 vaccines have been administered so far statewide, according to the IDPH.

As of Saturday night, 1,265 coronavirus patients in Illinois were hospitalized, down from 1,353 the previous night. Of those patients Saturday, 312 were in and intensive-care unit and 150 were on ventilators.

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total tests was 2.4%, the same as Saturday, officials said.