Coronavirus updates: 1st vaccines now on the way to all 50 US states

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti shared "astounding" COVID-19 figures in a press briefing Thursday.

"In Los Angeles, someone is dying of COVID-19 every 20 minutes," the mayor said, as he reported that there were 74 new deaths from the virus in the county.

Los Angeles County reported a record 12,819 new COVID-19 cases, surpassing Sunday's record of 10,528. Cases have increased 1,000% in the past month-and-a-half, the mayor said.

Intensive care unit bed capacity has also dropped to 7.7%, he said.

"Today's COVID-19 data from LA County is the most devastating since the start of this pandemic," Garcetti said.

The mayor said there is a "light at the end of the tunnel." LA County could begin distributing vaccines early next week if one is authorized soon, he said.

The county could receive up to 83,000 doses in the next couple of days, and as many as 500,000 doses by the end of December, he said.

"I urge all Angelinos to get vaccinated as soon as they qualify," Garcetti said. "The end of this pandemic is finally, finally in sight."

-ABC News' Michelle Mendez contributed to this report.

The number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. increased dramatically in the past week, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services obtained by ABC News Thursday night.

There were 16,237 deaths recorded from Dec. 4-10, marking a 44.3% increase in new deaths compared with the previous seven-day period, the memo said.

There were 1,449,322 new cases confirmed during that period -- a 26.9% increase week-over-week, according to the memo.

Across the country, 30% of hospitals have more than 80% of their intensive care unit beds filled, and 31% of ventilators in use are occupied by COVID-19 patients, HHS said.  

Several states are seeing hospital strain.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Nevada doubled from mid-October to mid-November, and projections show hospital capacity being surpassed in the next 30 days, HHS said. 

In Pennsylvania, the seven-day hospitalization rate hit a new four-month peak on Dec. 6, and officials warned that hospitals will be overwhelmed if residents do not take precautions, the memo said.

-ABC News' Josh Margolin

The U.S. had its "worst week yet" during the pandemic in terms of COVID-19 deaths, according to an analysis by the COVID Tracking Project. 

The seven-day average of reported deaths per day surpassed 2,000 this week for the first time since the spring. As of Dec. 9, that number was 2,281, a new record.

New COVID-19 deaths also set a record high this week, with 3,088 reported on Thursday.

As the number of new cases and current hospitalizations continue to climb, "the worst is yet to come," the COVID Tracking Project warned.

"Given the rapid increase in the number of new cases, we expect the metrics for hospitalizations and deaths to continue to rise in the coming weeks -- especially if in-person gatherings over Thanksgiving led to increased spread of the novel coronavirus, as public health experts warned," it said.

An independent advisory panel of infectious disease experts, doctors and scientists recommended Thursday that the U.S. government authorize the nation's first vaccine for people over the age of 16.

It's a major milestone in the effort to get the vaccine to hospitals and pharmacies.

After hours of drilling down into data produced from a clinical trial involving 44,000 people, the group of experts -- known as the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee -- voted in favor of the vaccine for people over 16 years of age.

Several members raised concerns about unknowns about the vaccine, including its potential to trigger allergic reactions and little data on how it impacts pregnant women.

Several panel members also expressed concern there wasn't enough data to support giving the vaccines to 16- and 17-year-olds.

At issue was this question: "Based on the totality of scientific evidence available, do the benefits of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine outweigh its risks for use in individuals 16 years of age and older?"

The panel voted 17-4 that the benefits outweighed the risks. One member of the committee abstained.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will now take the committee's input into account in issuing an emergency use authorization.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty