New cases and hospitalizations fall for second consecutive day

State health authorities on Sunday reported 2,035 more new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, the second-lowest daily total in nearly a month.

The figure comes as hospitalizations associated with the coronavirus also continue to trend down, 2,032 as of Saturday night, down from 2,112 on Thursday and nearly 100 fewer than a week ago. Of those hospitalized Saturday, 477 patients were in intensive care and 247 were on a ventilator.

The Illinois Department of Public Health also reported 24 more coronavirus deaths Sunday. Among those who died were 16 from Cook County and one Kane County resident.

According to the IDPH, the state has now seen more than 1.3 million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began last year, including 21,826 deaths.

While Illinois has resumed using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after an 11-day pause, the number of shots given Saturday took a steep dive from earlier in the week. According to the IDPH, 74,461 doses were administered Saturday, down from 125,524 given Friday and well below the seven-day rolling average of 107,976 doses.

A total of 8,810,463 vaccines have been administered in Illinois, officials said, and 3,769,787 of state residents are now fully vaccinated - nearly 30% of Illinois' population. In the Chicago region, DuPage County and suburban Cook County have the highest percentage of their population fully vaccinated, at 32.8% and 30.8%, respectively.