Los Angeles County continued to report a high number of new coronavirus cases Saturday amid an Omicron-fueled surge that has yet to abate.County public health officials announced they had recorded more than 200,000 new coronavirus cases over the past seven days, the highest one-week total since the pandemic began. Hospitalizations doubled during the same timeframe, reaching 3,200 patients in L.A. County as of Friday. More than 20% of those getting tested are now returning positive results, the county said.L.A. County on Saturday reported 34,448 new coronavirus cases and 16 related deaths but said the true numbers were likely higher due to holiday and weekend reporting delays.“Our hearts remain with those families experiencing the sorrow of losing those they love to COVID,” Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director, said in a statement. She reminded residents and businesses to continue following safety measures, including wearing a medical-grade mask and refraining from spending time with others who are not masked.Experts have said it’s important to note that although the case counts are higher than last winter’s peak, when L.A. County was recording about 16,000 new coronavirus cases a day, many people are becoming less severely ill due to the milder effects of the Omicron variant. Even the hospitalization numbers don’t tell the whole story, as some counties are seeing a growing percentage of people entering hospitals with a coronavirus infection but being treated for something other than COVID-19.At the same time, the surge has combined with pandemic-related staffing shortages to strain the county’s healthcare system and testing infrastructure.California National Guard troops were at a handful of L.A.-area testing sites Saturday assisting with a variety of tasks including traffic control, intake and processing, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Shiroma, chief of media relations for the California National Guard. Those who are medic qualified can also perform swabbing, he said.“Our soldiers are busy — that’s probably the best way to put it,” he said.Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money contributed to this report.