California nearing 5 million coronavirus cases

California health officials say the omicron variant is evident in 50 per cent to 70 per cent of new coronavirus cases in parts of the most populous state heading into the holidays, with the state nearing a total of 5 million virus infections for the pandemic.The US recorded its first confirmed omicron infection just three weeks ago in a San Francisco resident who had recently travelled to South Africa.

California health officials say the omicron variant is evident in 50 per cent to 70 per cent of new coronavirus cases in parts of the most populous state heading into the holidays, with the state nearing a total of 5 million virus infections for the pandemic.

The US recorded its first confirmed omicron infection just three weeks ago in a San Francisco resident who had recently travelled to South Africa. On Friday, the state had 4,990,016 confirmed coronavirus cases to date and more than 75,000 deaths from COVID-19, the disease that can be caused by the virus. Case reporting is expected to lag because of the holidays.