Ohio reported its lowest two-day total number of new COVID-19 cases in three months.

The state reported 3,287 cases Monday, a day after it listed 3,011 new cases, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

It was the smallest number of COVID-19 cases over a two-day period since Nov. 1 (3,003) and Nov. 2 (2,909).

Monday’s total was also well below the state’s daily average of 5,434 COVID-19 cases over the past 21 days. The state has seen a reduction in cases in the past week-plus. The state’s daily average for 21 days just a week ago was 6,725.

But there is still a long way to go before Ohio gets fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases. The last day that happened was Oct. 4 with 941.

In January, the state reported 195,412 new COVID-19 cases. In December, it was 279,317 — a record — and was 205,366 in November. The state reported 61,710 cases in October, 30,830 in September, 31,998 in August, 39,370 in July, 16,276 in June, 17,486 in May, 15,828 in April and 2,199 in March. The pandemic started in mid-March.

Vaccinations in Ohio started Dec. 14.

Including the 3,287 new cases Monday — the first day of February — a total of 899,079 COVID-10 cases have been reported in Ohio.

Of that number, 786,249 are presumed recovered with 11,230 fatalities.

That includes 55 deaths reported Monday, down from the daily average of 73 during the past 21 days.

Among those 55 COVID-19 deaths Monday are four in Trumbull and one in Columbiana counties.

Mahoning County had 18,058 total COVID-19 cases as of Monday with 15,939 presumed recovered and 339 deaths.

The ODH reported Trumbull County had 13,273 total COVID-19 cases as of Monday with 11,816 presumed recovered and 326 deaths.

Columbiana County had 7,618 total COVID-19 cases as of Monday with 6,606 presumed recovered and 125 fatalities, according to the ODH.

VACCINATIONS

Those at least 70 years of age and adult staff in K-12 schools became eligible Monday for the vaccination. The vaccination is given in two doses, about three to four weeks apart.

As of Monday, 853,965 people in the state had received at least the first dose of the vaccination. That is 7.31 percent of the state’s population, according to the ODH.

That number included 30,248 people in a 24-hour period that ended at 6 a.m. Monday.

Of those getting at least one vaccine so far, 242,247 are 80 years of age and older and 134,286 are between the ages of 70 and 79.

Starting next Monday, the state will lower the minimum age to be eligible for the vaccination to 65 and then freeze it for an unspecified time to get them and school staff inoculated.

In Mahoning County, 8.12 percent of the population (18,569 people) had received at least one dose of the vaccination as of 6 a.m. Monday.

In Trumbull County, it’s 6.91 percent of the population (13,686 people) and in Columbiana County, it’s 6.74 percent of the population (6,868 people).

Also, hospitalizations in the state continue to be lower than they’ve been in a few months.

Last Thursday, the state moved the start of its curfew from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. — and kept its end time at 5 a.m. with numerous exemptions — because of seven days with less than 3,500 COVID-19 hospitalizations.

After two weeks, if the state has fewer than 3,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations for seven consecutive days, the curfew will move to midnight. While the number isn’t being measured now, Monday marked the seventh straight day with hospitalizations fewer than 3,000. There were 2,521 COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday.

Once the state goes to a midnight curfew, it will be lifted if Ohio has fewer than 2,500 COVID-19 hospitalizations for seven straight days.

That could pose a challenge at the moment as Sunday with 2,441 hospitalizations is the only date with fewer than 2,500 in a couple of months.

Also, the curfew could be reinstated or the time adjusted if the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations increase.

COVID-19 by the numbers

The number of cases, changes in cases and deaths in counties in the region and statewide as of Monday:

County Cases Change since Change since Deaths

yesterday last week

Trumbull 13,273 +39 +353 326

Mahoning 18,058 +59 +587 339

Columbiana 7,618 +35 +209 125

Ohio 899,079 +3,287 +30,423 11,230

SOURCE: Ohio Department of Health