Coronavirus updates: State reports over 49,000 new cases, 468 new deaths

Health officials in Los Angeles County gave a dire warning to residents on Monday, particularly to those who are protesting mask mandates and other coronavirus-related rules, saying the situation is bound to get worse in the coming weeks.

The county has reported a total of more than 800,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, half of which were marked in December, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

About 7,697 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and 10,850 deaths from the disease have been registered in the county, according to the health officials.

Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, warned that hospitalizations could rise to 9,500 in two weeks.

"We're likely to experience the worst conditions in January that we faced the entire pandemic and that's hard to imagine," Ferrer said at a press conference Monday.

Ferrer and other officials spoke out against recent anti-mask protests held in the county.

"This isn't just about you. The facts are the facts, and they are grounded in science," said Dr. Christina Ghaly, director for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Service.

"Wearing a mask is not a statement about how you feel about your own health and your invulnerability," she added. "It's primarily a statement about how committed you are to protecting the lives and the health of those around you."

-ABC News' Matthew Fuhrman and Abigail Shalawylo

The University of California, San Diego has installed vending machines on campus where students and staff can pick up self-administered COVID-19 test kits.

To use the kits, which are free, test takers use the swab outdoors and return the vile within 72 hours, for results in less than two days.

Starting Jan. 2, on-campus students are required to get weekly tests, according to the university.

A new variant of the novel coronavirus that was first identified in the United Kingdom has been detected in New York state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

The patient is a man in Saratoga Country in his 60s, who had not traveled recently, suggesting community spread of variant. The patient was affiliated with a jewelry store, N. Fox Jewelers, where three other people have also tested positive for COVID-19, although it is not yet known if they have the same virus variant. Anyone who visited the store between Dec. 18 and 24 is being asked to contact the state and get a test immediately.

"From a public health point of view, it’s about contact tracing," Cuomo said. “We have to make sure we are doing everything we can do to effective contact tracing of this case."

Cases of the new variant have also been detected in Colorado, California and Florida.

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday a strict nationwide lockdown for England, as a new variant of the novel coronavirus that was first identified in the United Kingdom continues to spread rapidly and rising COVID-19 infections strain the country's health care system.

Under the new restrictions, nonessential workers are only allowed to leave home for essential food and medicine or to exercise. Meanwhile, all schools and universities must shift to remote learning.

"We must go into a national lockdown that is tough enough to contain this variant," Johnson said Monday.

While nonessential shops and hair salons are ordered to close, supermarkets, garden centers and churches can stay open. Restaurants can continue offering takeout and delivery services, but customers aren't allowed to add alcohol to their orders.

The lockdown, which goes into effect immediately and is to be in place until mid-February, will be enforced by police.

The announcement comes as the U.K. saw a record 58,784 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, along with an additional 407 deaths from the disease.

Prior to the nationwide lockdown being announced, England was under a set of tiered COVID-19 restrictions, with London in the highest level 4.

Although Johnson is the U.K. prime minister, his government is only responsible for lockdown restrictions in England because public health legislation is devolved to national governments within the U.K., meaning that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are responsible for their own coronavirus-related policies.

ABC News' Ian Pannell and Sohel Uddin contributed to this report.