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

Because Los Angeles’ mortuary system is overwhelmed, the LA County Coroner is now beginning to step in and pick up bodies and store them until mortuaries can handle them.  

This is so bodies don’t remain in personal homes and nursing homes for days waiting for a funeral home with space, officials said

“We will actually go out, pick up the person, bring them to our office, provide some safe and secure storage until the time the mortuary is able to take custody of their loved one,” Los Angeles County Coroner Chief of Operations Brian Elias told ABC News.

The coroner is adding a new temporary morgue next week made up of mainly refrigerated containers to help deal with the crush.  Before the pandemic, LA’s crypt could hold around 500 bodies.  They expanded that months ago to handle between 1000-1200. And next week it will expand that number again. Earlier this week, the LA County Coroner had about 750 bodies it was holding.

Every six seconds, someone is being diagnosed with COVID-19 and every eight minutes, someone is dying, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti told CNN Thursday.

“I am asking for folks across America, if you can spare a doctor or nurse, please were Americans, send it here,” Garcetti said. 

-ABC News’ Alex Stone

There were at least 4,279 deaths recorded between 5 p.m. Wednesday and 5 p.m. Thursday, marking the first time the U.S. has surpassed 4,000 daily COVID deaths since the pandemic began, according to a count by ABC News.

In the first week of 2021, the U.S. reported more cases of COVID-19 than at any point in the pandemic so far, the second-highest number of deaths, and the most people hospitalized with the disease, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

In the U.S., more than 21.5 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, with at least 364,218 deaths.

The coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 1.89 million people worldwide. Over 87.7 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Vice President Mike Pence received a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at his home Thursday, his press secretary, Devin O’Malley, told ABC News.

Second lady Karen Pence also received a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, her Director of Communications, Kara Brooks, told ABC News.

ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Elizabeth Thomas contributed to this report.

Massachusetts is escalating all hospitals to Tier 4 status, the "highest level of concern," which indicates active, ongoing constraints warranting Department of Health intervention, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday.

The number of people in hospitals has jumped by 145% and intensive care unit admissions leapt by 111% over the last six weeks, Baker said.

Hospitals were 65% full on Thanksgiving but are now 84% full, he said. ICU capacity went up from 50% at Thanksgiving to 75%.

“Our hospital capacity limits are being stretched to their limit,” Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said.

Hospitals with severe capacity constraints may begin on Thursday to request a temporary exemption from the mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in the ICU, Baker said. 

A hospital system may exercise this exemption only if it has capacity of less than 20% across its system for more than seven days, and if the chief executive officer has attested in writing that all nonessential invasive procedures have stopped.

The governor also said he’s extending the state’s restrictions around gatherings and businesses through Jan. 24. Gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors and most businesses, including restaurants, are limited to 25% capacity.

ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.