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:
Moderna vaccinations begin in US
Injections of the newly authorized Moderna vaccine are now underway in the U.S.
In Boston, health care workers at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center were among the first people to receive Moderna's vaccine. Dr. Jaime Gallegos, the first staffer to get the vaccine, held a sign that said, "Take that, COVID!"
The first cases containing the Moderna vaccine -- which was authorized by the FDA on Friday -- were seen Sunday morning being rolled out from a facility in Olive Branch, Mississippi, to be shipped to the FedEx hub in Memphis, Tennessee, for nationwide distribution.
The doses were packed into insulated coolers with specialized cold packs and a temperature monitor, according to pharmaceutical distribution company McKesson.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.
European Commission authorizes Pfizer vaccine
The European Commission authorized the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, hours after the European Medicines Agency issued a recommendation granting a conditional marketing authorization (formal authorization) for the vaccine.
"It will be available to all EU countries at the same time, on the same conditions," tweeted EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex tweeted, "Vaccination will start in the 27 EU countries on December 27, 28 and 29."
ABC News’ Ibtissem Guenfoud contributed to this report.
WHO: New variant's reproduction rate is 0.4 higher
The reproduction rate of a new COVID-19 variant linked to an uptick in cases in England is 0.4 higher than other known strains, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 technical lead, said Monday.
That means the number of people an infected individual transmits to increases from 1.1 to 1.5 with the new variant.
There’s "zero evidence" that the new variant causes more severe disease, said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.
The variant was reported to the WHO on Dec. 14. In the last few days, a number of countries have introduced travel bans to the United Kingdom.
The variant has also been identified in one patient in Australia, one in Iceland, one in Italy, one in the Netherlands, and believed to be in about 10 people in Denmark, Van Kerkhove said.
Studies around antibody response are underway. WHO officials said they expect results in the "coming days and the coming weeks."
ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
Cuomo wants NY on list requiring UK travelers to get tested
Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants New York state added to the list of countries requiring United Kingdom travelers to get tested before flying in the wake of a new variant of the novel coronavirus linked to an uptick in cases in England.
"If 120 countries require testing ... why are we doing nothing?" Cuomo said.
"I know and I believe my intuition is correct that it is another disaster waiting to happen,” Cuomo said.
British Airways and Delta have agreed to the governor’s request to test passengers flying from the U.K. to New York, Cuomo said. Virgin Atlantic is considering the request, Cuomo said.
A number of countries have introduced travel bans to the U.K. France, Germany and several other European countries have suspended flights, while similar measures have been taken around the world -- as far as Canada and Hong Kong.
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.