U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams appeared on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday and discussed the skepticism from many African Americans about the COVID-19 vaccine and how the community can be convinced it's safe and effective.

Adams said acknowledging the history of medical racism and what's still happening in the U.S. today is key.

"I've talked about Tuskegee. I've talked about Henrietta Lacks. But there are real issues going on today, right now in this country, when you look at 700 women dying of pregnancy-related complications, most of them black and brown in the United States. When you look at not just hypertension and cancer disparities," Adams said.

The surgeon general said health equity is critical.

"We need to engage with trusted influencers. We need to make sure our pastors, and imams and rabbis, all of whom I'm working with, have the facts so that they can spread it to -- to their congregants," he said. "I want people to know that as a scientist, as a doctor, I've looked at the data. I know the protections that are in place. I know an African-American female helped develop this vaccine and Tony Fauci and I made sure that the trials were enrolled with diverse participants."

Two confirmed cases of the COVID-19 variant observed in the United Kingdom have been identified in Ontario, Canada, the country's Public Health Agency said in a statement on Saturday.

The agency also restated guidance from the World Health Organization that while these new variants may be more transmissible, to date there is no evidence that they cause more severe disease or have any impact on antibody response or vaccine effectiveness.

Norway also reported cases of the variant on Sunday. The cases were identified in two people who traveled to Norway from the U.K. in December, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

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.

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.

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

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