More contagious COVID-19 variants bring uncertainties to state

SAN FRANCISCO — Confirmed coronavirus cases in California surged past the 3 million mark Tuesday at a moment of growing optimism that the outbreak might finally be leveling off, even as officials noted some alarming factors that could complicate projections.

Cases continued to flatten across California — including in hard-hit Los Angeles County — after two months of record-setting surges. COVID-19 hospitalizations have also flattened and started to decline slightly, giving some desperately needed breathing room to medical facilities still overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.

After a slow start, California is beginning to ramp up distribution of the coronavirus vaccine, which officials see as the best hope of bending the curve and bringing back the battered economy. Limited supply of the vaccine will likely mean many will still have to wait weeks if not months to get their shots, but there is growing hope the incoming Biden administration can accelerate vaccination efforts.

But despite these positive developments, officials are expressing growing concerns about new and potentially more contagious variants of the coronavirus that have been detected in California and beyond. One of the new variants is believed to be 50% more transmissible than the conventional variety of the coronavirus, which if it became widespread, would lead to more infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

It’s possible that one of the new mutant variants may become the dominant version of the coronavirus spreading in the state in the coming months — at the same time many Californians hope to see the economy reopen significantly if conditions continue to improve.