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.
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December deadliest month of pandemic
With only eight days left, December has already gone down as the deadliest month of the pandemic, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
As of Wednesday, 57,638 Americans died from the virus in December, according to the health data. April is the second deadliest month of the year with 55,267 fatalities, according to the Tracking Project.
The daily hospitalization rate broke another record Wednesday with 119,463 Americans hospitalized with the virus.
"The 7-day average for hospitalizations is at a record 115k," the tracking project tweeted.
Surge affecting states with 80% of the population: White House Coronavirus Task Force
The White House Coronavirus Task Force urged state leaders to step up their messaging when it comes to health warnings as the number of cases continues to rise across the country, according to a report for governors that was obtained by ABC News.
The rise in cases is now in states home to more than 80% of the American population, according to the report.
"Preventing a post-Christmas/Kwanzaa surge is critical through clear and continuous messaging: 'To preserve our hospital system for you, we need you to wear masks, physically distance, wash hands, and avoid crowds and social gatherings beyond your immediate family,'" the report said.
The task force reported that the current surge is currently plateauing at 10 times the daily cases of the spring surge and three and a half times the daily cases of the summer surge.
The number of COVID-19 inpatients is three times the number of spring inpatients and more than double the summer surge, according to the report.
Weekly fatalities are greater than the spring surge and two and a half times greater than the summer surge, according to the task force.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
Texas breaks daily COVID-19 case record
Texas recorded 19,185 coronavirus cases Wednesday, a new record for the state, according to the Texas Health Department.
Its previous record was on Dec. 17, with nearly 17,000 new cases reported.
The state recorded 294 new deaths on Wednesday and there are 10,574 people hospitalized statewide, according to the Health Department.
Texas has recorded 1,451,256 cases so far, the Health Department said.
Thunder-Rockets game postponed after positive tests
One day into the NBA's new season, the league announced that a game has been postponed due to COVID-19 related issues.
The game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets was put on hold after three Rockets players tested positive or inconclusive, according to the league. Four other players are quarantining following contact tracing procedures, the NBA said.
"Additionally, James Harden is unavailable due to a violation of the Health and Safety Protocols. All other Rockets players were tested again today, and all returned negative results," the league said in a statement.
One other player was unavailable due to an injury and the Rockets did not have the mandatory eight-player roster to play the game, according to the NBA.
NYC clinic under probe for misappropriating vaccine will return vials
The New York City health care provider under investigation for allegedly misappropriating the Moderna coronavirus vaccine, told ABC News it will return its vials to the state Health Department.
The New York State Department of Health is currently probing ParCare, which has offices in Brooklyn, to determine if it misused what was an approved allocation toward members of the public not yet prioritized under current New York guidelines.
Under the current state rules, only medical workers, first responders and nursing home staff members are allowed to receive any coronavirus vaccine. Other groups will follow in future rounds.
ParCare touted the vaccine on its social media pages with a flyer that claimed the vaccines would be available on a "first come, first serve basis."
"We have set up a special system where you can reserve your slot. This will enable you to receive the vaccine as soon as it arrives to the center," the flyer said.
The flyer also claimed that the vaccines were only for people who were "elderly," "high risk" or "underlying conditions."
New York state police and other investigators were at the ParCare location in Borough Park on Saturday night.
A spokesman for ParCare told ABC News Sunday evening that it is cooperating with the state investigation and will return its unused vials.
ParCare received 2,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine, and 869 of those doses have already been administered, according to the spokesperson.
"ParCare followed all NYS DOH procedures for obtaining the Moderna vaccine and was approved by NYS DOH for distribution and by CDC as a network site. As a result, we have properly received the vaccines and have provided the documentation regarding the proper receipt of the vaccines to the NYS DOH," the spokesperson told ABC News.
With regards to the patients who received their first shot, ParCare said it will be "working with the state to ensure that we provide the second dose for our patients."
-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik and Aaron Katersky contributed to this report