People’s CDC COVID-19 Weather Report

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The Weather

The CDC wastewater map has not been updated since September 25, 2025 as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown. The map updates may be further delayed due to the  hundreds of CDC employees being intentionally laid off by the Trump administration who continues their ongoing attack on public health infrastructure. We continue to report on COVID levels by analyzing data provided by WastewaterSCAN. 

As of October 31st, WastewaterSCAN reports COVID wastewater levels at the regional level with all four major regions at “Low.” Trends at the subregional level include 12 high transmission sites, 28 medium transmission, and 101 low transmission sites demonstrating that active levels of COVID transmission are continuing. As always, wear a high-quality mask (e.g., N95, KN95) to minimize your risk of getting sick. If you have not done so already, it is important to get the updated 2025-2026 COVID booster.

Text at the top reads, “All Regions Are At “Low” Levels.” Graphic depicts a map of the United States separated into four regions: West, Midwest, South, and Northeast. A key in the lower right corner indicates wastewater concentration levels: orange for high, yellow for medium, blue for low, green for not detected, and gray for not calculated. The West, Midwest, and Northeast, and Southern regions are all shaded blue. There are individual wastewater treatment plants, indicated by dots, scattered across the map. The dots follow the same color key as regions. In the West, many dots are concentrated along the coast of California and many dots are blue. In the Midwest and South, dots are spread farther apart with a mix of blue, yellow, and orange dots. In the Northeast, dots are closer together with a mix of yellow and orange dots. Text at the bottom reads “People’s CDC. Source: WastewaterSCAN.”

Graphic source: WastewaterSCAN

Wastewater Trends

According to WastewaterSCAN, wastewater levels have decreased from a recent wave that peaked in September, noting an overall downward trend. The trend seems to be following similar patterns as 2024 which showed a dip down in November that followed peaks in late August and early September.

A line graph with the title, “12 Month Regional COVID Wastewater Trend From data updated on Oct 31, 2025” with “Wastewater Viral Activity Level” (measured as quantity of nucleic-acids, PMMoV Normalized (x1 million) indicated on the left-hand vertical axis, going from 0 to 1,400, and dates across the horizontal axis, with date labels ranging from Dec 2024 to Nov 2025. Text above the graph reads, “Wastewater Levels Decreasing.” A key at the top indicates line colors. National is black, Midwest is orange, South is yellow, Northeast is green, and West is blue. Overall, levels trended downward for all four regions in the past month. Text at the bottom reads “People’s CDC. Source: WastewaterSCAN.”

Graphic source: WastewaterSCAN

Variants

The CDC’s variant tracking dashboard has not been recently updated. As a result, we will pause on the reporting of COVID variants until updated information is provided.

Other Public Health Threats

As of November 1, 2025, the U.S. government remains shut down due to a negotiation breakdown over the national budget. Cuts to spending on domestic programs including healthcare have led to significantly increased premiums in both the private and public marketplaces. Insurance premiums only make up part of the story, with much of the increase in premiums being driven by expiring tax credits for those accessing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. Health premiums for some Americans will rise as much as 70% for 2026 without an extension of the tax credit structure. For the 24 million Americans who do not get their insurance through an employer or Medicare/Medicaid, out-of-pocket premiums are projected to double on average without a tax credit extension, meaning many will see an even greater increase. The Affordable Care Act tax credits have become central to the continuation of the shutdown, with many Democrats seeking an extension of these subsidies and many Republicans refusing to negotiate on it. The GOP talking point of widespread fraud existing in the ACA marketplace, due to individuals who sign up for coverage but do not seek care, is highly contested. Contact your elected members of Congress in support of the resumption of this government funding that ensures universal access to healthcare.

On Healthcare Access

The federal administration’s immigration enforcement efforts have led to challenges for those accessing healthcare facilities, with reports from California ranging from agents camping out in lobbies to them waving machine guns in the face of clinicians serving the homeless. States, including California, have looked to limit the ability of federal agents (without valid search warrants or court orders) to enter into areas where patients receive care or discuss health matters. Communities are not sitting by and are organizing efforts to support fellow humans including volunteer patrols, documenting sightings, and rapid response training. 

In a drive to reduce drug costs, the FDA moves to speed approval of biosimilars by removing the requirement for human trials. Biosimilars are highly similar, lower-cost versions of complex biologic medicines, thoroughly tested to ensure their safety and effectiveness when compared to the original brand-name product for treating serious illnesses like cancer, arthritis, and diabetes. 

Long COVID

A recently published systematic review and meta-analysis of 144 scientific studies, 17 of which included data on COVID found that COVID infections raise the risk of heart attack and stroke by 3 times in the 14 weeks following the initial infection. Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the study found that the increased risk was maintained for at least a year after the infection. Importantly, the study found that other viral illnesses, including the flu, also increased the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

A study published in early October in JAMA Network Open, found that work absences remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels with an increase of 12.9%, on track with COVID spread levels, and represent a new year-round baseline for absence similar to adding a new flu season. Robust paid sick leaves ensures adequate time for recovery which has been shown to decrease the likelihood of Long COVID as well as reducing the chance of disease spread. Organizing to ensure labor protections and paid sick leave is an essential aspect of health for all.

Other Infectious Diseases 

A recent review, conducted by the CDC and published in JAMA Network Open, found that H5N1 avian flu likely spreads asymptomatically amongst humans. Since 2020 there have only been 21 reported cases of death in humans, however the virus is spreading in cows in North America, and other variants have been noted to be of risk of causing the next pandemic.

Check out the People’s Public Health Briefing for updates on measles, mpox, and more. 

Take Action

Going to a protest? Rally? March? Want to help others in the fight better understand the link between public health and anti-authoritarian action? Or between public health and climate justice? Our fights are all connected because *we* are all connected. Help to build a cohesive resistance by printing and distributing these fliers at the next event you attend.

Notes: 1) The numbers in this report were current as of 11/1/2025. 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)

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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