#California sees highest number of coronavirus cases since pandemic began

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A family wearing face masks in Santa Monica, California.
AFP via Getty Images

California reported the biggest single-day spike in coronavirus cases since the pandemic started, according to an alarming report.

The number of new infections in the Golden State soared to 4,224 Wednesday — dwarfing its previous highest record of 3,683  on June 12, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

California officials attributed the increase in new cases to more testing in the state, along with delays in lab results.

Of the 2,100 new cases reported in LA County, nearly half came from “from an earlier testing period,” the California Department of Public Health’s website notes.

More than half of the cases were reported in the heavily populated Los Angeles area, and many came from the Bay Area, according to the paper, which cited county health data.

As California’s total number of infections spiked to more than 161,000, 14 counties — including Monterey, Marin and San Luis Obispo —  reported their highest ever one-day case increase on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to the the Sacramento Bee.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday urged residents to wear face masks in public to curb the record-high illness numbers.

“[We’re] seeing too many people with faces uncovered – putting at risk the real progress we have made in fighting the disease,” he said.

The number of hospitalized patients also increased in California from 3,092 on Saturday to 3,400 Tuesday, the paper reported.