Here’s what happens to the US pandemic on Friday:
THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY
– After months of serving as a role model in the fight against COVID-19, California has seen infections spiral out of control whole weeks. It now has the worst coronavirus diagnosis rate in the US Experts say a variety of factors are combined to eliminate California’s past efforts, which for much of the year have slowed growth and kept the virus at low levels. Narrow housing gatherings, travel, and Thanksgiving have contributed to the spread, along with public fatigue amid regulations that have shut down many schools and companies and encouraged – or called for – an isolated lifestyle.
– Health officials say they found evidence in a Florida man about the latest US case of the new, apparently more contagious variant of coronavirus first seen in England. The Florida Department of Health posted a statement on Twitter late Thursday that the variant was detected in a 20-year-old man with no recent travel history. It comes after recent reports of confirmed cases elsewhere in Colorado and California. The cases have raised questions about how the COVID-19 variant circulating in England reached the US, where experts say it is probably already spreading.
– Ten months in quarantine and working from home due to pandemic, pet life and human relationships they have changed in many cases. For many dogs, pandemic life is life as it should be: people around 24/7, walk and treat on demand and sneak onto their bed at night. Cats are more affectionate than ever, some even acting in need of attention. The long-term impacts are not known.
FIGURES: The seven-day average for new daily deaths in the United States has fallen in the past two weeks from 2,646 on Dec. 17 to 2,387.7 on Dec. 31, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The number of COVID-19-related deaths in the United States is over 346,000.
QUOTE: “I think January will be worse at this time than we imagined,” said Dr. Don Williamson., head of the Alabama Hospital Association after watching online Christmas events featuring many people who were not wearing masks. “We will absolutely reap the whirlwind of new cases because of our refusal to simply do simple things.”
ICYMI: Authorities Arrest Milwaukee Suburban Pharmacist Suspected of Deliberately Destroying Hundreds of Doses of Coronavirus Vaccine by taking them out of the fridge for two nights. Grafton Police said former pharmacist Aurora Health’s lawyer was arrested on suspicion of reckless danger, adulterating a prescription drug and damaging property. Aurora’s lawyer, the group’s chief medical officer, Jeff Bahr, says the pharmacist deliberately removed 57 vials containing hundreds of doses of Moderna vaccine from the refrigerator overnight on Dec. 24, then returned them. out again on the night of December 25th.
ON THE HORIZON: Congress concludes a chaotic session with a rare rejection of President Donald Trump’s Republicans. GOP senators ignore the outgoing president’s request to increase COVID-19 aid checks from $ 600 to $ 2,000. They are ready to cancel his veto on a major defense project. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Trump’s ally, says Congress could try again to approve greater controls on COVID-19 aid after the new session opens on Sunday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Congress has provided enough help for the pandemic so far. The stalemate is expected to pass over the weekend.
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Find full AP coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic