People’s CDC COVID-19 Weather Report

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Wins

We’re putting wins upfront this week, because we need to remember that authoritarianism relies on our feeling isolated and powerless. But across the country, people continue to rise up, fight back, and WIN! 

Potential ICE “detention facilities” are getting shut down throughout the country, including in Ashland, Virginia and Kansas City, Missouri. Opposition is growing in other places as well, including Social Circle, Georgia. To better appreciate the scale and the varied approaches communities are using, read this summary of resistance by the Marshall Project.

The Weather

The CDC-based wastewater map was last updated on February 19th, and depicts wastewater levels for the period February 8th – February 14th, 2026, showing “very high” or “high” levels across 17 states, most of which are in the Midwest and Northeast. It shows “moderate” levels across 16 states, an increase from our last report, scattered across the country. It shows “low” or “very low” levels across 16 states, mostly in the West, as well as Washington, DC and Guam. Three states and Guam are reporting limited coverage, meaning only some of the state’s wastewater centers are reporting, and the data is based on less than 5%. There is no data for the US Virgin Islands and North Dakota.

Note: We will be rolling out a new map soon, and we look forward to your feedback!

A map of the United States color-coded in shades of blue and teal displaying SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Viral Activity levels from CDC Data last updated on February 19, 2026 with a time period of Feb 8th to Feb 14th. Deeper tones correlate to higher viral activity. Gray indicates “No Data” and stripes indicate “limited coverage” that is based on less than 5% of the population and may not be accurate. Blue and teal, which are visible in the Midwest, Northwest, Northeast and South indicate “High” or “Very High” activity. States in the West, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and South Atlantic regions are mostly “Very Low” or “Low.” Text above the map reads: 17 States Reporting “Very High” or “High.” There is no data for North Dakota or the U.S. Virgin Islands, and limited coverage for Arkansas, Guam, and Oklahoma. Text at the bottom reads “People’s CDC. Source: CDC.”Graphic source: CDC

Regional trends show an increase in the South and a decrease in the West. Overall, national trends are upward. Though this winter wave peaked at lower levels than previous years, increases have persisted for nearly 3 months. It is important to continue taking precautions, including wearing N95/KN95/KF94 masks in public spaces, staying up to date with vaccinations, and using air cleaners (air “purifiers”) or opening windows whenever possible.

To make your next gathering as safe as possible, check out our Safer Gatherings Guide.

A line graph’s title reads “Wastewater levels show some increases in the South, decreases in the West” The Y axis is COVID concentration levels from “Very Low” to “Very High”. The X axis dates are from March 15, 2025 through February 14, 2026. The line graph first peaks in 2025 in September. Levels go down nationally in October, but begin trending upward in late November 2025 reaching a second peak in early January 2026. The South, Northeast and national levels show increases while the West shows decreases. The Midwest shows decreases as well but levels in that region remain in the “Very High” category which is significantly higher than levels in other regions. The Northeast and national levels remain in the “Moderate” delineation along with the South whose levels have risen to “Moderate” from “Low”. The West remains in the “Low” category. Text at the bottom reads “People’s CDC. Source: CDC."Graphic source: CDC

Other respiratory viruses

The CDC indicates wastewater levels for flu are “low” nationally, though again, growing in the south. RSV levels are moderate and rising across all regions. Please remember that it is more important than ever to mask up, especially when you are sick. RSV has already caused an estimated 4-12,000 deaths in the US this season alone. Having a runny nose and sniffles may be mild for you, but devastating for someone else. Missed days of school or work and the consequences of missed instruction or missed income; clinic visits leading to medical debt; hospitalizations triggering deterioration of baseline health for our elderly neighbors; preventable death, and the rippling effects these losses have on families and communities. Many layers of protection, including masking, cleaning the air, and staying home when sick, help reduce the risk of spreading influenza, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

An infographic in multiple shades of pink is titled “Preliminary 2025-2026 U.S. RSV burden estimates” with a subheading below that states “CDC estimates that, from October 1, 2025 through February 14, 2026 there have been:”. The rest of the graphic is broken up into 3 side-by-side sections that juxtapose 3 different ways that the disease has impacted the population, those being outpatient doctors’ visits, in-patient hospitalizations and deaths. There have been between “1.2 million to 2.9 million RSV outpatient visits”, between “72,000 to 170,000 RSV hospitalizations”, and between “4,000 and 12,000 RSV deaths” preliminarily estimated between 2025 and 2026. An asterix at the bottom of the page specifies that these estimates are “based on data from September 28, 2025 through February 14, 2026”.

Graphic Source: CDC 

Measles

Measles continues to spread in the US, with cases in South Carolina increasing to 973 since October. Last year, this country saw nearly 2,300 measles cases. Already in 2026, we’re at 982 cases. At this pace, we would surpass 2025 totals by this May.

A light gray map of the US with county borders outlined in a darker gray depicts the “measles cases reported in the United States” within the past 12 months. Colored circles of different sizes indicate the number of cases. A legend above the graphic shows that different sized circles represent 100 cases versus 400 cases versus 1,000 cases, where 1,000 cases is represented by the biggest sized circle and 100 cases is represented by the smallest. The circles are either red to depict “imported” measles cases or blue to depict “local” measles cases. The border between South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia shares the largest blue or “local” outbreak circle of approximately 1,000 cases or more. The border between Western Texas and New Mexico shares the second largest blue or “local” outbreak circle representing approximately 400 cases. The borders between Arizona and Nevada, and between Utah and Nevada each have the 3rd and 4th largest blue or “local” outbreaks with circles that are sized to a case count of just under 400. Almost every other state has at least 1 blue or red circle representing case counts of approximately 100 or less except Mississippi, West Virginia, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Text at the bottom reads “Johns Hopkins University”.

Source: International Vaccine Access Center

ACIP Update

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was supposed to meet this week, but the meeting has been delayed. The American Academy of Pediatrics filed a lawsuit to reverse the CDC’s decision to disrupt the previous childhood vaccination schedule and an injunction to prevent this month’s meeting. The CDC has not announced when the meeting will be held, reflecting the lack of accountability and transparency we’ve come to expect from this administration.

Take Action

Oppose Casey Means for Surgeon General, who is uniquely unqualified for the job. Means has questioned the childhood vaccine schedule. She also has a major financial conflict of interest through her company, which sells so-called “natural” products with the intent to oppose conventional medicine and to profit personally. Although she plans to resign from her company if confirmed as the next Surgeon General, her conspiratorial and unscientific beliefs around autism, raw milk, and birth control could cause grave harm to the public, especially as her platform and reach would expand exponentially if nominated. 

Oppose ICE: A call to action for healthcare workers! Sign a national open letter to end funding for ICE violence and defend healthcare at https://tinyurl.com/HCWStopICEViolence. As healthcare workers in Minnesota face ICE brutality, call your senator to end funding for ICE violence at https://indivisible.org/actions/ice-out-senate. 

Read this piece in Crimethinc to understand how Minneapolis organized against ICE and join up with ICE opposition movements in your area. If you can, find or build networks of community members engaged in rapid-response community defense, delivering groceries to folks who cannot safely leave their homes, or opposing new and existing ICE detention facilities. Please remember that each region and each network will have its own strategies. Check out our COVID Safety for Protests toolkit.

Remove RFK Jr. petition: A recent report from Protect Our Care named RFK Jr. “Public Health Enemy No 1.” We continue to call for the removal of RFK Jr., and Stand Up For Science has created its own petition to remove RFK Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. We encourage you to read it and sign on.

Don’t forget to check out this week’s People’s Health Briefing with Dr. Noha Aboelata, MD, and the Roots Community Health Center team. This week’s update discusses respiratory virus updates, an overview of wastewater infrastructure, the Public Health terms “incidence” and “prevalence,” Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and highlights the work of the Black medical pioneer, Nurse Ophelia Long, who helped to found Roots Community Health Center. 

Notes: 1) The numbers in this report were current as of 2/22/2026. 2) Check out the links throughout & see our website for more at https://peoplescdc.org. 3) Subscribe to our newsletter: People’s CDC | Substack.

If you’re donating to us through Substack, consider getting the Substack for free (it’s not paywalled!) and donating to us directly. That way, there are fewer fees for everyone.

 

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The People’s CDC is a coalition of public health practitioners, scientists, healthcare workers, educators, advocates and people from all walks of life working to reduce the harmful impacts of COVID-19.

We provide guidance and policy recommendations to governments and the public on COVID-19, disseminating evidence-based updates that are grounded in equity, public health principles, and the latest scientific literature.

Working alongside community organizations, we are building collective power and centering equity as we work together to end the pandemic. The People’s CDC is volunteer-run and independent of partisan political and corporate interests and includes anonymous local health department and other government employees. The People’s CDC is completely volunteer run with infrastructure support being provided by the People’s Science Network.

Though the People’s CDC was supported initially through a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant, that grant has long expired. We no longer pursue or accept grant funding. We are now entirely funded by people who donate to us. Most of these donations make their way to us through our Substack platform (which anyone can access for free!) or through purchases of People’s CDC swag. Our website now has a donate link for anonymous donations.

The content that we put out is entirely created by volunteers who receive no funding for their work. We pay one person for their labor–a digital organizer. They help us update and maintain our website, make sure we all know what meetings are happening and when, post our content on social media, and monitor our email. They also act as the point person between our organization and our fiscal sponsor, People’s Science Network.

We also pay for a People’s CDC T-shirt for any volunteer who wants one.

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