People’s CDC COVID-19 Weather Report

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Where is the CDC?

The world may have finally caught up to the alarm bells raised by many during this administration’s dismantling of the US public health infrastructure. In the midst of a hantavirus outbreak and in light of the U.S.’s current retreat from the world stage, the WHO has taken center stage in determining and communicating the risks posed by the virus to the world’s people. 

Abortion access update

On May 14th 2026, the highly partisan U.S Supreme Court temporarily preserved nationwide access to a medication commonly used in the standard medication abortion regimen used in the US. SCOTUS blocked a lower court ruling that would have restricted mail delivery and telehealth prescriptions for the drug over the dissent of both Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The case, brought by the state of Louisiana against the FDA, challenges federal rules that expanded access to mifepristone after the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade. Four years after that fateful rollback of bodily autonomy, the Court’s temporary order means women can still receive the medication by mail while the legal battle continues. This dispute raises broader questions about whether states can override federal drug regulations. Legal experts say the eventual ruling could significantly shape abortion access and privacy rights across the United States in the post-Roe era. 

The Weather

The CDC-based wastewater map was updated on May 14th and depicts wastewater levels for the period May 3rd to May 9th. It is of note that since we unveiled a new color scheme for the wastewater map on March 11th, with cool tones representing “low” and “very low” levels and warm tones representing “high” and “very high” levels, the CDC has also followed suit with an updated map color that reflects the same logic. We are pleased to see the CDC taking steps to move toward an appropriate level of visual clarity.

The CDC reports that Guam is experiencing “high” levels, and West Virginia and Alaska are experiencing “low” levels.  All other states and territories where levels were available are experiencing “very low” levels. Arizona, North Dakota, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are reporting “limited/no data”. Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, and Arkansas are reporting limited coverage, meaning that the data is based on less than 5% of the population and may not be accurate for the entire state. Regional data indicate that all regions remain at “very low” levels. National, Midwestern, and Western levels have stayed the same. Southern levels have decreased slightly, and Northeastern levels have increased slightly. 

A map of the United States with the CDC’s newly updated color code which uses shades of blue, green, orange, pink and purple to depict COVID Wastewater Viral Activity levels. The header reads “one territory with ‘High’ levels.” This map is based on CDC Data last updated on May 14, 2026 with a time period of May 3rd to May 9th. Pink and purple correlate with higher viral activity, while the cool colors blue and green represent lower activity. Orange represents “moderate”. Gray indicates “limited/no data” and stripes indicate “limited coverage” where data is based on less than 5% of the population and may not be accurate for the whole state. No states are orange meaning “Moderate”, Guam is red meaning “High”. North Dakota, Arizona and the Virgin Islands are grey meaning “limited/no data”, and West Virginia and Alaska are green meaning “Low”. All remaining states are blue meaning “Very Low”. There is limited coverage for Oklahoma, Arkansas, Michigan and Mississippi. Text at the bottom reads “People’s CDC. Source: CDC.”

Graphic source: CDC

A line graph’s title reads “national decreases continue.” The Y-axis is COVID concentration levels from “Very Low” to “Very High”. The X-axis dates are from December 12, 2024 through May 9, 2026. The line graph peaks in December 2024 - February 2025, then again in August and September of 2025, and then most recently in December 2025 - February 2026. Currently all regions have decreased to the “Very Low” level of concentration. Text at the bottom reads “People’s CDC. Source: CDC."Graphic source: CDC

Wins

A paper published on May 13, 2026 in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that ensitrelvir, when administered to household contacts of someone with COVID-19 within 72 hours of exposure significantly reduced additional cases. Given that no antiviral agents have been approved for postexposure prophylaxis, this study highlights additional tools that could be added to a layered approach to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Households are a key site of transmission, and with nonpharmacological interventions like isolation being impossible for some, ensitrelvir could potentially be used to reduce transmission.

Other Infectious Diseases

According to WastewaterSCAN, norovirus and rotavirus are at “medium” and “high” levels, respectively. It is important to maintain hand hygiene to protect against these infectious diseases, as they are spread primarily through contaminated surfaces, contaminated food, or contaminated water. Norovirus can also be aerosolized from vomit, so it is important to wear a mask if you’re caring for a sick friend or family member with norovirus.

Measles

Measles continues to spread in the US. The total number of new measles cases per week has begun to taper off from the sharp incline we have been experiencing since November 2025. Since our last report, cases have increased from 1,877 nationally to 1,963, with 27 new outbreaks in 2026. In 2025, there were 2,207 confirmed cases from 47 outbreaks, an increase from the 16 outbreaks and 285 cases reported in 2024.  Vaccination remains the most effective tool for preventing the spread and development of serious infections.

A line graph with the Y-axis is the number of measles cases reported and the X-axis is the progression of the year in number of weeks, depicts the “Cumulative measles cases reported in the United States by year.” A blue line labeled “2026” shows almost 2000 cases reported so far this year, the second highest peak on the graph. Gray lines indicate previous measles cases reported in each year since 2018, peaking in 2025 with over 2,207 cases by the end of that year. Text at the bottom reads “Johns Hopkins University.”Source: International Vaccine Access Center

Actions

Protect COVID vaccines: The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRPBAC) comments on COVID vaccine composition are due by 5/27 for the 5/28 meeting You can submit your comments here.

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.

Engage your representatives: Tell Your Senators: Vote “NO” on Saphier for U.S. Surgeon General. Nicole Saphier has been nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. We must speak loudly and clearly: She is totally unqualified to serve in this important role and must be rejected by the Senate. She has spread lies about measles, hepatitis B, and COVID vaccination, sells quack cures on Amazon, and has no public health experience. It takes <2 minutes to write to your Senators. Write to them now! 

Notes: 1) The numbers in this report were current as of 5/15/2026. 2) Check out the links throughout & see our website for more at https://peoplescdc.org. 3) Subscribe to our newsletter: People’s CDC | Substack.

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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.

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