People over 75, front-line essential workers should get vaccine next, CDC panel says

Southern California's intensive care unit capacity fell to 0% on Thursday.

The state’s San Joaquin Valley region, which spent many days at 0.0%, is now reporting 0.7% ICU capacity.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered regions to issue a stay-at-home order for at least three weeks if their ICU capacity falls below 15%. The Bay Area’s ICU capacity has fallen to 13.1% and will begin its stay-at-home order Thursday. The Greater Sacramento area, where ICU capacity is at 11.3%, is also under a stay-at-home order. Northern California is the state’s only region not under the order.

California reported 52,281 new daily cases on Thursday, close to the record high set one day ago.

If California were a country, it would have more daily COVID-19 cases than the U.K., India, France, Italy, and Mexico.

On Wednesday, the Golden State reported a record 53,711 new cases.

ABC News' Bonnie Mclean and Matt Fuhrman contributed to this report.

The White House Coronavirus Task Force’s weekly guidance for governors is urging state leaders to “warn about any gathering during the December holidays.”

“This current fall to winter surge continues to spread to every corner of the U.S., from small towns to large cities and from farms to beach communities,” read the briefing, dated Dec. 13. “The fall surge is merging with the post-Thanksgiving surge to create a winter surge with the most rapid increase in cases.”

As vaccinations begin, the report said that “immunization of individuals over 65 [years old] will have the greatest impact on hospitalizations and deaths. For those over 70 with COVID infection, 20% or more are admitted [to hospitals] and nearly 10% die.”

“Many Americans continue to gather indoors, creating private spreading events outside of public spaces,” the report said, asking governors to focus “on uniform behavioral change including masking, physical distancing, hand hygiene, no indoor gatherings outside of the immediate households, and ensuring every American understands the clear risks of ANY family or friend interactions outside of their immediate household indoors without masks.”

ABC News’ Josh Margolin and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.

Another 15,800 to 27,700 COVID-19 deaths are expected in the U.S. by Jan. 9, according to a forecast released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This would bring the nation’s pandemic death toll to between 357,000 and 391,000.

ABC News’ Brian Reiferson contributed to this report.

Europe will begin vaccinations on Dec. 27, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

“It's Europe's moment,” she tweeted.