Second consecutive day of 6 coronavirus deaths in Illinois

Illinois health officials Monday announced six additional coronavirus deaths and 614 new cases.

It was the second consecutive day in which the state announced six deaths — the lowest one-day total since March 25.

The numbers through the first days of July mirror the very beginning of the pandemic that has so far cost Illinois 7,026 lives.

The state’s first COVID-19 death occurred March 16.

The announcement of 614 new cases Monday brings the total number of confirmed cases in Illinois to 147,865. The vast majority of COVID-19 patients recovered.

The state’s positivity rate over the past week is about 2.6%.

Many states in the southern and western U.S. are seeing spikes in COVID-19 cases. As a result, a 14-day quarantine requirement for anyone traveling to Chicago from a coronavirus hotspot went into effect Monday.

Neighboring Wisconsin and Indiana have seen case numbers and positivity rates tick up slightly over the past week.

But Illinois continues to see encouraging results in terms of reducing the spread and impact of the virus within its borders.

Not since June 5 have more than 1,000 new cases in a day been reported in Illinois, while Florida announced 10,059 new cases on Sunday and 6,336 on Monday. And after Illinois averaged about 100 coronavirus deaths per day in May, including a daily high of 192, it cut that average roughly in half in June.

July, so far, is on pace to continue that downward trend.