1 million COVID-19 cases recorded in California in past week

California recorded one million COVID-19 cases in the past week - the fastest pace yet at which the state has logged infections, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Just over three weeks passed before California went from logging a total of two million infections to three million last winter; in comparison, California on Monday logged seven million cases - a week after the state had already reached six million, the newspaper noted.

The Times also noted that hospitalizations have risen, though the figures have not yet reached those seen last winter. The newspaper noted that while California at one point last winter reached a peak of 4,868 ICU patients with COVID-19, the state has already seen more ICU patients with COVID-19, 2,311 recorded for Monday, than the 2,128 patients seen during Delta' surge last summer.

Despite the rise in infections, the number of deaths in the state has not reached the same height seen last winter - 545 deaths a day late last January - but the state has still seen an uptick in COVID-19 deaths. The number of deaths for the seven-day period that ended last Sunday is about twice the number that was recorded during the 2021's last week, the Times noted.

The data suggests - as other initial research and international studies first released also have - that the omicron variant, now the dominant strain in the United States, is likely less severe but more transmissible than previous strains.

Some health officials believe that the delta variant may also be responsible for some of the state's recent COVID-19-linked deaths, according to the California newspaper.

Health officials have urged people to get their COVID-19 vaccines, including their boosters if they are eligible, saying that vaccination still represents one of the most important tools to tackle the pandemic.