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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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.


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.