SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California became the first state to record more than 5 million known coronavirus infections. The state dashboard reported the numbers Tuesday, which were delayed because of the holiday weekend. The grim milestone, as reported by the California Department of Public Health, wasn’t entirely unexpected in a state with 40 million residents poised for a surge in new infections amid holiday parties and family gatherings forced indoors by a series of winter storms. California’s caseload is ahead of other large states. Texas had more than 4.4 million and Florida topped 3.9 million as of Sunday. The state has recorded more than 75,500 deaths related to COVID-19.
Richard Vogel/AP
People line up for a free COVID-19 rapid test at a gas station in the Reseda section of Los Angeles on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, as California braces for a post-holiday virus surge.
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