LOS ANGELES (AP) — California on Monday became the first state to record more than 3 million known coronavirus infections.

The grim milestone, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, wasn’t entirely unexpected in a state with 40 million residents but its speed stunning. The state only reached 2 million reported cases on Dec. 24.

What You Need To Know

  • California on Monday became the first state to record more than 3 million known coronavirus infections

  • The state only reached 2 million reported cases on Dec. 24

  • It took 292 days to get to 1 million infections on Nov. 11 and 44 days to top 2 million

  • On average, California has seen about 500 deaths and 40,000 new cases daily for the past two weeks

The first coronavirus case in California was confirmed last Jan. 25. It took 292 days to get to 1 million infections on Nov. 11 and 44 days to top 2 million.

California’s caseload is also far ahead of other large states. Texas had more than 2 million and Florida topped 1.5 million.

The state has recorded more than 33,600 deaths related to COVID-19.

A caseload surge that began last fall has strained hospitals and especially intensive care units as a percentage of the infected — typically estimated to be around 12% by public health officials — 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 New Year's Eve gathering transmissions is felt.