(WTVO) — Illinois has just hit a new low in the number of COVID-19 deaths recorded in a month, with 41 deaths in July.

That is the lowest number since the start of the pandemic.

The number of people hospitalized is also down. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that Illinois hospitals are treating an average of 128 COVID-19 patients per day.

The federal government ended its COVID-19 Emergency Declaration in May, but medical experts said that does not mean that there is not still a threat.

The predominant strain currently circulating is a sub-variant of the omicron strain from late 2021, with current vaccines being made to fight it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with vaccine makers to update boosters for the fall, however.