Wins
Activists from all over the world have successfully completed missions to bring tons of aid to Cuba amid the US blockade. The success of these missions is not only reflected in the aid delivered, but in the efforts of those who made the journey are now taking to change the political narrative at home.
The Weather
The CDC-based wastewater map was last updated on April 2, and depicts wastewater levels for the period March 22 – March 28, 2026. It shows low and very low levels across the country aside from “very high” levels in Mississippi and Tennessee and “moderate” levels in 5 states, mostly in the southeast. Four states have limited coverage, meaning only some of the state’s wastewater centers are reporting, and the data is based on less than 5% of the population. There is “limited/no data” for the US Virgin Islands and North Dakota meaning that either no data was reported or that the data reported was not large enough to estimate wastewater viral activity.
Our map team is away for the week, so we’re temporarily back to the CDC’s map, but we will be institutionalizing our new heat map soon.
You have probably seen coverage of the new Cicada variant (BA.3.2) in the news. It is important to remember that this virus is constantly evolving, and this evolution itself reflects an ongoing threat. With regard to this particular variant, we have not seen any evidence of increased hospitalization or death, nor do we think it spreads easier than other modern variants. Vaccines seem to offer similar protection against Cicada variant compared to other circulating variants. Still, scientists may consider the Cicada variant spike protein when developing future vaccines.
Other respiratory viruses
The CDC indicates wastewater levels for flu are “very low” nationally, which we hope indicates that this awful flu season will soon be over. This season, there have been 30 million illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations, and 23,000 deaths. We have all been taught to tolerate flu as a baseline annoyance, accepting flu harms as unpreventable realities of cold winter months. But the reality is that we do not have to accept flu deaths. Again, indoor air cleaning infrastructure, robust masking requirements and access, access to affordable flu testing, isolation guidance and support, paid sick leave, free access to seasonal vaccines and other policies could meaningfully decrease the number of flu cases each year. Twenty-three thousand deaths from a virus we know and understand well is a policy decision.
Measles
The South Carolina measles outbreak seems to have been contained, with 0 cases reported in the past two weeks. (Knocking on wood!) Unfortunately, an outbreak in Tricounty, Utah seems to be picking up steam, driven by low vaccination rates among school-aged children. And horrifyingly, the county with the second largest increase in numbers over the past two weeks is Hudspeth TX, where nearly all cases have been associated with a so-called “federal detention center” there.
Measles cases in the US are on track to surpass 2025 totals by May. We continue to urge folks to get vaccinated, to wear a mask, and to join efforts to oppose misinformation, detention, homelessness, and other preventable systemic drivers of disease spread.
Source: International Vaccine Access Center
Attacks on health in Iran
The United States bombed the Pasteur institute of Iran last week, a medical research institute. The building was used for researching infectious diseases, producing vaccines and biologic products, and diagnosing medical conditions. It has been central to the fights against smallpox and cholera. The US also attacked a number of hospitals and healthcare sites in Iran. Of course, the US has been using sickness as a weapon of war since its inception.
Take Action
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.
Get involved in local efforts to oppose ICE, to block the development of data centers, or to engage in mutual aid efforts required to support each other during a general strike. Explore strategies for war tax resistance.
Send money to those organizing in support of Cuba. For example, this campaign, organized by the People Forum, aims to raise money for solar generators and solar panels.
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 the usual infectious diseases updates and reviews evidence based strategies to improve health through diet.
Notes: 1) The numbers in this report were current as of 4/5/2026. 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.
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