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Here’s what’s happening with the pandemic in the United States 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 for weeks. It now has the worst coronavirus diagnosis rate in the U.S. Experts say various factors combined to wipe out past efforts by California, which for much of the year reduced surges and kept the virus at low levels. manageable levels. Cramped housing, Thanksgiving trips and gatherings have helped the spread, along with public fatigue amid regulations that have closed many schools and businesses and encouraged – or demanded – an isolated lifestyle.
– Health officials say they have found evidence in a Florida man of the latest US case of the apparently more contagious novel variant of the coronavirus first seen in England. The Florida Department of Health tweeted a statement Thursday that the variant was detected in a man in his 20s with no recent travel history. This follows recent reports of confirmed cases elsewhere, in Colorado and California. The cases have raised questions about how the COVID-19 variant circulating in England got to the United States, where experts say it is probably already spreading.
– Ten months after quarantine and working from home due to the pandemic, the lives of pets and relationships with humans have in many cases changed. For many dogs, pandemic life is life as it was meant to be: humans 24/7, walk around and treat each other on demand, and sneak up on their beds at night. Cats are more affectionate than ever, some even need attention. The long-term impacts are not known.
THE NUMBERS: The seven-day moving average of daily new deaths in the United States has declined over the past two weeks, from 2,646 on December 17 to 2,387.7 on December 31, according to data from Johns University Hopkins.
DEATHS: The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States stands at more than 346,000.
QUOTE: “I think January is going to be worse at this point than we imagined,” said Dr. Don Williamson, the head of the Alabama Hospital Association, after watching Christmas events online which featured many people not wearing masks. “We will absolutely reap the whirlwind of new cases due to our reluctance to do simple things.”
ICYMI: Authorities have arrested a pharmacist in suburban Milwaukee on suspicion of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of the coronavirus vaccine by removing them from the refrigerator for two nights. The Grafton Police Department said the former pharmacist Advocate Aurora Health was arrested on suspicion of reckless endangerment, tampering with a prescription drug and criminal damage to property. On December 24, Aurora Health Care lawyer medical group chief Jeff Bahr said the pharmacist deliberately removed 57 vials containing hundreds of doses of the Moderna vaccine from the refrigeration overnight of December 24, had them returned, then left them out again on the night of December 25.
ON THE HORIZON: Congress ends a chaotic session with a rare Republican snub from President Donald Trump. GOP senators are ignoring the outgoing president’s request to increase COVID-19 aid checks from $ 600 to $ 2,000. They are ready to overturn its veto on a major defense bill. Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has said Congress may try to approve larger COVID-19 aid controls again after the new session opens on Sunday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Congress has provided enough pandemic aid, so far. The stalemate is expected to extend into the weekend.
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Find the full PA coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
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