A mother gets her finger pricked for a COVID-19 antibody test as her son watches at a free testing center set up at the Southside Church of Christ in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 18, 2021. (Photo: AP-Yonhap News)
California has become the first U.S. state to record more than 3 million known coronavirus infections.
The grim milestone was reached on Monday as the COVID-19 death toll there surpassed 33,600, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University.
California, which has a population of 40 million, only reached 2 million cases on December 24.
A caseload surge that began last fall has strained hospitals and especially intensive care units as an estimated 12 percent of the infected become sick enough weeks later to need medical care.
On average, California has seen about 500 deaths and 40,000 new cases daily for the past two weeks.
Officials warn that a recent slight downward trend in hospitalizations could reverse when the full impact of transmissions from New Year's Eve gatherings is felt.
The Golden State is placing its hopes on mass vaccinations, but there have been snags, including a recent call by some medical officials to stop using one lot of a Moderna vaccine because some people needed medical treatment for possible severe allergic reactions.
Authorities are investigating the matter.
So far, California has vaccinated fewer than 2,500 people per 100,000 residents, a rate that falls well below the national average, according to federal data.
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