A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 80.2 million people worldwide and killed over 1.7 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Dec 27, 2020, 2:34 AM EST
EU begins vaccinating adults, health care workers
European Union nations have officially started vaccinating their citizens.
Shots of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine were given to health care workers and vulnerable adults Sunday morning.
The news comes as countries like Italy and Spain continue to see rising COVID-19 cases.
Dec 27, 2020, 6:31 AM EST
NY health care provider accused of vaccine 'scheme'
A health care provider in New York has been accused of misappropriating coronavirus vaccines.
In what amounts to a line-skipping scheme, the New York State Health Department and the State Police are investigating Orange County health care provider Parcare Community Health Network for an alleged maneuver to violate the state's distribution plan.
A person receives the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at a hospital in New York City, Dec. 21, 2020.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters, File
State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said Parcare "may have fraudulently obtained COVID-19 vaccine, transferred it to facilities in other parts of the state ... and diverted it to members of the public."
This would run directly contrary to New York's current plan for "1A" distribution, which prioritizes front-line health care workers, nursing home residents and staff.
"We take this very seriously," Zucker said in a statement. "Anyone found to have knowingly participated in this scheme will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
ParCare Community Health Network told ABC News in a statement, "During these unprecedented times, we have striven to provide critical healthcare services and administer COVID-19 vaccinations to those qualified to receive them under the New York State Department of Health's guidelines, which includes frontline healthcare workers and first responders. Parcare Community Health Network has a long history of partnering with the City of New York to provide vital healthcare services to New Yorkers who need them most - including providing COVID-19 testing - especially for New Yorkers in medically underserved communities who've been hardest hit by COVID-19. As we actively cooperate with the New York State Department of Health on this matter, we will continue to perform top-quality healthcare services to help New York come out of this pandemic."
In October, New York's Test and Trace Corps announced an expanded partnership with ParCare to provide free COVID-19 testing and resources for the Orthodox Jewish community.
-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik and Aaron Katersky
Dec 26, 2020, 6:31 PM EST
Increase in MIS-C seen in LA County
An increasing number of children are being infected with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), according to a statement Saturday relased by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, supervisor to the First District.
"It is heartbreaking that every day, more than 14,000 Los Angeles County residents are testing positive for COVID-19. It is even more painful to see an increasing number of children being infected by MISC-C. There is a misconception that COVID-19 only impacts those who are older or those with underlying health conditions. At this point in the crisis, we can say for certain that COVID-19 causes severe consequences in people of all ages, including children, and even without underlying health conditions. In Los Angeles County, the Latinx community is bearing the brunt of COVID-19 and MISC-C cases," the statement read.
There have been 51 total cases of MIS-C in children, including one child death. All 51 children with MIS-C were hospitalized and nearly 50% of the children were treated in the intensive care unit. Of the children with MIS-C, 31% were under the age of 5 years old, 38% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, and 31% were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Latinx children account for nearly 73% of the reported cases, according to the statement.
Experts say the inflammatory syndrome resembles toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease, itself a rare inflammatory disease typically affecting children under the age of 5, and has the potential to be deadly.
-ABC News' Matthew Fuhrman, Olivia Rubin and Soo Rin Kim
Dec 26, 2020, 10:56 AM EST
Spain and Sweden confirm new COVID-19 variant
Madrid health officials confirmed Saturday that four cases of the new variant of COVID-19 already detected the U.K, have been discovered in Spain, Reuters reported.
The new variant has also been detected in Sweden after a traveler from Britain fell ill on arrival and tested positive for it, the Swedish Health Agency said on Saturday, according to Reuters.