For the first time in nearly four months, the number of newly reported COVID-19 cases in Ohio is fewer than 2,000.

The state had 1,926 new cases reported Monday, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The last time Ohio had fewer than 2,000 new cases in a day was Oct. 19 with 1,837.

The state has seen a major drop in reported COVID-19 cases during the past two weeks and particularly in the past couple of days. On Sunday, 2,138 cases were reported — the fewest since 2,116 on Oct. 26.

The daily average number of COVID-19 cases for the past 21 days is 4,337. Just a month ago, the daily average was 7,474. Two months ago, the daily average was 9,408 cases.

Ohio had 922,143 total COVID-19 cases as of Monday with 828,455 presumed recovered and 11,695 deaths.

The state reported 36 new deaths Monday, well below the daily average of 67 during the past 21 days.

Among the deaths reported Monday were three in Trumbull County, which continues to see a high rate of death from the virus recently. Of Trumbull’s 335 total COVID-19 deaths, 185 of them have been reported since Dec. 1.

Trumbull County had 13,580 total COVID-19 cases as of Monday and 12,292 presumed recovered, according to the ODH.

The state reported Mahoning County had 18,530 total COVID-19 cases as of Monday with 16,629 presumed recovered and 342 fatalities.

Youngstown State University reported 25 COVID-19 cases for the week of Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, including 22 students who live off campus, two students who live on campus and one employee.

The positivity rate for the campus is 2.59 percent.

Columbiana County had 7,777 total cases as of Monday with 7,002 presumed recovered and 132 deaths, according to the ODH.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

Because of a decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations, the state’s curfew is likely to move to midnight starting Thursday.

The curfew was moved from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. Jan. 28 because of seven straight days of COVID-19 hospitalizations below 3,500. The plan is to go to midnight beginning Thursday if the previous seven straight days of COVID-19 hospitalizations are below 3,000. Monday saw 2,012 hospitalizations — the 14th-consecutive day with fewer than 3,000. The curfew end time remains at 5 a.m., and it has numerous exemptions.

It will be lifted Feb. 25 if hospitalizations star below 2,500 for seven straight days. That is expected to happen as the state has been below 2,500 daily hospitalizations seven consecutive days as of Monday.

VACCINATIONS

The state Monday lowered the age to be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination to 65. It was at 70 last Monday, 75 a week prior and started Jan. 18 at 80. But Ohio doesn’t plan to lower it for a while as it works to vaccinate senior citizens along with other groups of people, including adults at K-12 schools.

As of 6 a.m. Monday, 1,058,141 people in Ohio received at least the first of the two-dose COVID-19, including 20,725 in the previous 24 hours. The number of people to receive at least the first dose is 9.05 percent of the state’s population.

In Mahoning County, 10.8 percent of the population (24,699 people) had received at least the first dose as of 6 a.m. Monday compared to 9.14 percent of Trumbull County’s population (18,103 people) and 8.7 percent of Columbiana County’s population (8,868 people).

The ODH also reported 311,669 people, 2.67 percent of the state’s population, as of 6 a.m. Monday had received both doses of the vaccine, including 6,659 in the prior 24 hours.

In Mahoning County, 2.77 percent of the population (6,336 people) had received both doses compared to 1.96 percent of Trumbull’s population (3,879 people) and 2.25 percent of Columbiana’s population (2,288 people).

dskolnick@tribtoday.com