El clima
The most recent CDC national wastewater map, updated on May 29, 2025, shows data from May 18 to May 24 of this year. Looking at the People’s CDC’s version of the map, we can see very light colors throughout the country which tells us that low and very low levels of COVID were found in wastewater. Only Guam is shown to have high levels of COVID, but with limited data. Oregon and Hawaii are the only states with moderate levels of COVID in wastewater. This updated map has 5 states with limited data, meaning that data from those states is based on less than 5% of the population. There is no data for DC, Montana, North Dakota and the US Virgin Islands. The CDC says that current national levels are “Very Low,” with the West having the highest levels. Remember that just because your state’s overall levels may look low, certain areas may have higher wastewater levels. You can check your state here to see more detailed local data.
Importantly, though not shown in our map, Guam is experiencing High levels of transmission, but with limited data.
Wastewater Trends
Wastewater trends show that the amount of COVID in wastewater is remaining relatively stable at low or very low levels across the country.
Wins
Billions of dollars set aside for COVID-19 relief funds were terminated on March 24 of this year by the Trump administration. In response, the District of Columbia and 16 states sued, y courts recently said that the funds should be restored to DC and to the states that were listed in the suit.
Variants
LP.8.1 remains the dominant variant in the US and worldwide, though a new variant, NB.1.8.1 has been leading to increased cases in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions. So far, it has been detected at some airport screenings in the US, but it has not made it to high enough levels to be reported on our variant tracker– though it could be a possible reason for the high levels of COVID noted in Guam. The WHO notes this “variant under monitoring” does not seem to be more transmissible or more dangerous than other circulating variants. Importantly, WHO also notes that current vaccines should offer protection from this new variant.
Vaccines
Speaking of vaccines… Y’all, it’s a three alarm fire on vaccines. The situation is urgent!
Last week, the FDA announced in a comment in the New England Journal of Medicine that they will be limiting vaccines to people over 65 and those with certain health conditions. This decision is very dangerous. COVID vaccines protect people of all ages from severe infection and death. They’re essential for protecting pregnant people and their babies up to six months after birth.
We’re asking everyone to call Congress and your State Governors and tell them “COVID vaccines reduce everyone’s risk of severe illness, death, and Long COVID. We want universal access to COVID Vaccines!” Find contacts for your Representative here, your Senators here, and your State Governor here.
We’re not only concerned that this administration has ignored health recommendations agreed upon by most scientists, but also that they have ignored internal processes which would limit RFK’s power to make changes to whatever he wants, whenever he wants. RFK, the current leader of the US Department of Health and Human services, announced his change to CDC vaccine recommendations on X without sharing his plan with anyone at the CDC who works on vaccine policy. The announcement was made PRIOR to hearing recommendations from ACIP, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and prior to considering comments from the public– both of which are normally done before any large policy changes are made.
Most seriously, we’re worried that this change will decrease our already terrible vaccination rates and lead to increased illness and death that otherwise could have been avoided. When the CDC doesn’t approve vaccines for certain people, many doctors won’t prescribe them and insurance companies might not cover the costs. These barriers to vaccine access will worsen health disparities. We’re urging doctors to recommend and prescribe these vaccines off label, and we’re urging insurance companies to continue to pay for them.
We ALSO want to remind everyone, LOUDLY, that mRNA is not new technology. That mRNA vaccines are miraculous and lifesaving. They are safe and effective. La semana pasada, the Trump administration cancelled plans to develop h5n1 vaccines against bird flu, citing GROUNDLESS concerns about the safety of mRNA technology. They say that the public had concerns about its safety that haven’t been addressed. What they don’t say is that it’s their own political machine that planted and stoked these concerns. They say the public’s concerns matter when it supports their anti-vax agenda, but they forgo public comment periods in making current vaccine recommendations.
On public comments, later this month, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is still scheduled to meet to vote on who should be able to get the COVID vaccines and how often. It is unclear what impact their recommendations will have, given the CDC’s plan has already been made public. Still, it’s more important than ever that we register our disapproval of the changes. We need to swarm the ACIP meeting with public comments supporting at-least annual (some data supports every 6 months), universal vaccination. Mark your calendars for June 9th when public comments open.
Public Health Threats
This administration is releasing embarrassing reports that go against what the scientific community has agreed upon, while claiming the opposite is true. We’ll just briefly name two examples:
- Last week, RFK released his MAHA (“Make America Healthy Again”) report, using citations that don’t exist, and making scientifically unsupported claims.
- Earlier last month, a report on Transgender care was produced with the help of eight so-called “distinguished scholars,” who were apparently so ashamed of their work that they didn’t want their names revealed. (Of course, the administration argues that their names were withheld to “maintain the integrity of this process.”) The report is garbage: It goes against all of the current best practices and recommendations made by major medical organizations. You can read the American Academy of Pediatrics’ response to the report here.
Even more alarming than last month’s nonsense report: last week, CMS demanded data from hospitals providing pediatric transgender care. We will see how hospitals respond, but we urge hospital leadership to organize with each other, as Big 10 universities have, in order to resist fascist threats.
And, in other censorship news: RFK mentioned in a podcast that they would stop allowing NIH-funded researchers to publish in certain journals that he deemed “corrupt.”
Tomar acción
Join People’s Action Institute for some phone bank events pushing against tax handouts to corporations and billionaires. Never called your reps before? No problem! They’ll train and support you!
As above: Mark your calendar for June 9th to comment on your support for universal COVID vaccinations!
And in the meantime, use the links above to call all your reps to tell them you want to be able to access vaccines, and you want everyone else to be able to access them also.
Finally, we’re seeking volunteers who have press-related expertise to help build out a more robust press team. Could that be you? A friend you know? Sign up here (please!)!
Measles
Measles in the US this year reached 1,088 confirmed cases as of May 30, 2025. Though cases seemed to be slowing throughout the Spring, we have seen an increasing number of cases the past few weeks.
Fuente: CDC
Remember to check your vaccination status and get vaccinated if you haven’t yet! Ninety six percent of the measles cases we’ve seen in 2025 have occurred in unvaccinated people. And remember measles is not a benign disease! This year’s cases are associated with a 12% hospitalization rate, and already, 3 people in the US and one person in Mexico have died from the current outbreaks.
People’s CDC appreciates our readers! We updated our website with more subscription and donation options. If you’re donating to us through Substack, consider getting the Substack for free (it’s not paywalled!) and donating to us directly. You can choose a one-time or recurring donation. That way, there will be fewer fees for your bank account and ours!
Notes: 1) The numbers in this report were current as of 05/30/2025. 2) Check out the links throughout & see our website for more at https://peoplescdc.org. 3) Subscribe to our newsletter: People’s CDC | Substack.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
El CDC del pueblo es una coalición de profesionales de la salud pública, científicos, trabajadores de la salud, educadores, defensores y personas de todos los ámbitos de la vida que trabajan para reducir los impactos dañinos de COVID-19.
Brindamos orientación y recomendaciones de políticas a los gobiernos y al público sobre COVID-19, difundiendo actualizaciones basadas en evidencia que se basan en la equidad, los principios de salud pública y la literatura científica más reciente.
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.