SALEM — Coronavirus hospitalizations rose gradually over the weekend amid an unprecedented run of infections, with the state on Monday, Jan. 10, averaging more than 6,750 cases a day in the past week.

Oregon’s record-breaking pace of infections from the omicron variant is being reflected in statewide hospitalizations.

The number of people actively hospitalized who tested positive for the coronavirus climbed to 692, up 11% since Jan. 7. In intensive care units, the volume of patients with positive coronavirus tests climbed to 138, up 16% since Jan. 7.

Even so, Oregon’s hospitalization numbers remain more than 40% below the delta peak despite average daily cases being nearly three times the summer high.

The omicron variant is highly contagious but thought to be less severe, with early research indicating it spares the lungs. It has upended conventional pandemic metrics, not only for cases, with even hospitalization numbers somewhat squishy because people seeking care for conditions other than COVID-19 are more likely now than ever to incidentally test positive for the virus.

The Oregon Health Authority tallied an astounding 47,272 coronavirus cases over the past week, including 18,538 confirmed or presumed infections announced Jan. 10 for the preceding three days. Oregon registered a test positive rate of 22.1% during the most recent span. Oregon recorded nearly three times as many cases last week as the previous week. Modeling by Oregon Health & Science University projects coronavirus hospitalizations will surpass the delta peak, topping out at about 1,650 on Jan. 27, before rapidly falling back to pre-omicron levels.