COVID-19 updates: Classes in Chicago canceled for 4th day

The state of New York has told 40 hospitals they must turn away nonessential, nonurgent elective surgeries for the next two weeks in response to low bed capacity. Most of the hospitals are located in upstate New York.

The determination was made after the hospital locations were added to the list of "high risk regions" by the state department of health due to 90% of beds being occupied according to the seven-day average.

"We will use every available tool to help ensure that hospitals can manage the COVID-19 winter surge," acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said in a statement Saturday. "I want to remind New Yorkers that getting vaccinated and boosted remain the best way to protect against serious illness and hospitalization from COVID-19. Vaccination also protects our hospital system. We cannot return to the early months of the pandemic when hospitals were overwhelmed."

All of the hospitals in three regions -- Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes and Central New York -- are included in those 40 facilities.

New York state recorded 90,132 COVID-19 cases and 154 deaths on Friday. 

11,843 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized in the state. Of the hospitalized, 42% are cases where COVID was not included as one of the reasons for admission, the governor's office said. 

"There is an answer to this winter surge and it's simple: the vaccine and the booster," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "Our vaccination rate among children is still too low. Parents and guardians don't delay in getting your children vaccinated and boosted, if eligible."

As of Friday, data showed the omicron variant represented 94% of sequences uploaded by New York State between Dec. 24 and Jan. 6, according to the governor's office.

Los Angeles County saw over 43,000 new cases in one day, a new record, health officials announced Friday.

This beats Thursday's previous record high of 37,000.

There are 2,902 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized in the county, according to health officials.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer noted that vaccinated individuals are "between 10 and 30 times less likely to need hospital care than those unvaccinated."

"Every resident can also do their part to protect our healthcare personnel and hospitals. Please get vaccinated or boosted as soon as possible if eligible," she said in a statement.

-ABC News' Alex Stone

The U.S. recorded more than 705,000 COVID-19 cases Thursday and is currently averaging 586,000 new cases per day -- the highest ever recorded during the pandemic. new federal data shows.

With a total confirmed case count of 58.8 million COVID-19 infections, this means one in approximately every five Americans have tested positive for the virus.

New York City is currently recording the country's highest case rate, followed by New Jersey and New York state

Meanwhile, the U.S. is reporting an average of about 1,200 new COVID-19 deaths per day, up by about 10% in the last week.

The death toll currently stands at 834,000, meaning about 1 in every 393 Americans has died from COVID-19.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos