New York health provider may have fraudulently obtained COVID-19 vaccine
The vaccine was then given to members of the public not yet eligible.
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.
Latest headlines:
Over 1 million Americans have received 1st vaccine dose
At least 1,008,025 Americans had received their first dose of the vaccine as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to a tally from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have been 9,465,725 doses distributed across the country.
ABC News’ Eric Strauss contributed to this report.
1st New York City EMTs get vaccinated
The first New York City EMTs were vaccinated Wednesday morning, with the hopes of inoculating 450 FDNY members per day.
Since the pandemic began -- with New York City as the spring’s epicenter -- 5,700 members of the FDNY have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
On Tuesday, the FDNY lost its 12th employee to COVID-19. EMT Evelyn Ford, 58, leaves behind four children.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
UK travelers must quarantine upon arrival in NYC
In the wake of new variants of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom, travelers arriving in New York City from the U.K. will be visited by a sheriff’s deputy to confirm they are quarantining, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
Additionally, all international travelers will receive a city health commissioner’s order to quarantine via certified mail.
Those who are found in violation will face daily $1,000 fines.
“We cannot take chances with anyone who travels,” the mayor said.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
Another variant detected in UK
Another COVID-19 variant has been detected in two cases in the United Kingdom, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
"Both are contacts of cases who have traveled from South Africa over the past few weeks,” Hancock said.
Hancock said the “new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the U.K."
The health secretary said both cases and close contacts of the cases have been quarantined.
U.K. travel to and from South Africa is suspended, Hancock said.
The coronavirus is constantly mutating, and there are many thousands of lineages of the virus, each with distinct mutations. There's no evidence this new variant is more deadly and there's no evidence it will affect the vaccine.
ABC News' Mike Trew contributed to this report.
Duke women's basketball calls off season due to COVID-19
The Duke women's basketball team has decided to end its season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"The student-athletes on the Duke women's basketball team have made the difficult decision to conclude their current season due to safety concerns," Michael Schoenfeld, Duke's vice president for public affairs and government relations and chief communications officer, said in a statement. "We support their decision, as we have supported the choices made by all student-athletes at Duke during this unprecedented time."
The team suspended activities on Dec. 16 after two members of the program's "travel party" tested positive for COVID-19. It's unclear if they were players or staff, but contact tracing didn't allow for the team to field enough players.
The Blue Devils had gone 3-1 in the first four games under newly hired head coach Kara Lawson. The former Tennessee star and ESPN commentator said earlier this season she did not believe that college basketball games should proceed during the pandemic.
Duke men's coach, Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski, made similar comments this month as well. The men's team, currently ranked No. 20 in the AP poll, has continued to play.
The Duke women's team is the first major program to end their season.