VIRUS TODAY: California struggles to tame COVID-19

Here’s what’s happening Friday with the pandemic in the U.S.:

THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY

— After months of serving as a role model in the fight against COVID-19, California has seen infections race out of control for weeks. It now has the worst coronavirus diagnosis rate in the U.S. Experts say a variety of factors combined to wipe out California’s past efforts, which for much of the year tamped down on surges and kept the virus at manageable levels. Cramped housing, travel and Thanksgiving gatherings contributed to the spread, along with the public’s fatigue amid regulations that closed many schools and businesses and encouraged — or required — an isolated lifestyle.

— Health officials say they’ve found evidence in a Florida man of the latest U.S. case of the new and apparently more contagious coronavirus variant first seen in England. The Florida Health Department tweeted a statement late Thursday that the variant was detected in a man in his 20s with no recent travel history. It comes after recent reports of confirmed cases elsewhere, in Colorado and California. The cases have triggered questions about how the COVID-19 variant circulating in England arrived in the U.S., where experts say it probably already is spreading.

— Ten months into quarantines and working from home because of the pandemic, household pets’ lives and relationships with humans have in many cases changed. For many dogs, pandemic life is life as it was meant to be: Humans around 24/7, walks and treats on demand, and sneaking onto their bed at night. Cats are more affectionate than ever, some even acting needy for attention. Long-term impacts aren’t known.

THE NUMBERS: The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. decreased in the last two weeks from 2,646 on Dec. 17 to 2,387.7 on Dec. 31, according to...