California COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the rise, and new L.A. County cases have doubled as the Omicron virus spreads.

COVID- In California, 19 hospitalizations are on the increase as the Omicron variety spreads, combining with a holiday wave of the Delta strain to raise fears of yet another spike that may put the state's healthcare system under strain.

According to The New York Times' hospitalization tracker, there were 3,589 COVID-19 patients in state hospitals as of Friday, up nearly 12% from two weeks prior. Hospitalizations increased by about 31 percent in Los Angeles County and by roughly 26 percent in Riverside County over the same time period.

As of Wednesday, 49 occurrences of the Omicron variation have been reported in California, however not all samples are sequenced to detect variants. Although this is far less than the 184,700 instances of the Delta form, which is still prevalent in the state, health authorities expect the number to climb.

Although doctors believe immunizations still give protection against severe disease and death, Omicron is considered to be more infectious than Delta and better at bypassing immunity acquired by vaccines or past infections.

While there are early indications that Omicron may cause less severe sickness than other forms, health experts warn that if enough people become infected, hospitals may become overwhelmed. This comes at a time when the system is already dealing with a number of issues, including major personnel shortages and increasing demand for other healthcare services, such as flu treatment and operations that had been placed on hold earlier in the epidemic.

The bulk of California's Omicron cases — 38 — have been reported by Los Angeles County, which reported 3,730 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, its largest single-day total in months and more than double the amount reported on Wednesday. According to The Times' tracker, the county had averaged just over 1,587 daily instances during the previous week, up nearly 19 percent from two weeks earlier. The county's daily positive rate for individuals seeking testing has also risen, from 1.2 percent on Sunday to 1.7 percent on Saturday, according to health officials.

On Friday, the first recorded instances of the Omicron variety were reported in Orange and Riverside counties. According to public health officials in Orange County, the variation infected a fully vaccinated guy who had just traveled domestically outside of California and suffered minor sickness.

In a statement, Dr. Matthew Zahn, the deputy county health officer, said, "The Omicron variation is highly transmissible and has previously been found in the United States and many nations across the world." "We had expected Omicron to arrive in Orange County," says the narrator.

The variant infected a 41-year-old completely vaccinated guy from Riverside County who was tested in Los Angeles County on Dec. 8, according to public health officials. Officials from the Department of Health are looking into whether the man had recently traveled.

In a statement, Dr. Geoffrey Leung, Riverside County public health officer, said, "The reporting of this case reminds us of the necessity of taking precautions to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in all its manifestations." He also recommended that individuals be immunized and booster vaccinations. Health authorities continue to advise people to wear masks in public areas inside, avoid big crowds, and wash their hands often.

Virus outbreaks have prompted the delay of athletic events, including the Los Angeles Rams' Sunday game against the Seattle Seahawks, which was moved to Tuesday, and the Anaheim Ducks' Tuesday game against the Calgary Flames, which has yet to be rescheduled.

The first incidence of the Omicron strain in the United States was reported on December 1 in a fully vaccinated traveler who had recently returned from South Africa to San Francisco. San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Ventura counties have also been discovered with the variation.