People's CDC, COVID-19, Weather Report, February 9, 2026
This week, we discuss the ICE OUT! General Strike, current COVID, flu, and measles surges, the US leaving the World Health Organization, and Black history in public health.
ICE OUT! General Strike
At the end of January, Americans across the country turned up the heat and struck their labor, shopping, and education to protest the relentless brutality being unleashed by ICE on our communities, including the murder of at least 9 people: Keith Porter, Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Parady La, Renee Nicole Good, Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz, Heber Sánchez Domínguez, and Alex Pretti.
This is the second general strike that has been rapidly organized in response to the federal government’s occupation and destruction of our cities. Historically, general strikes have been rare and large, taking years to organize by labor unions and other groups. These impromptu strikes demonstrate this country’s hunger for change and demand that those in power do something. Unfortunately, our “opposition” Democratic party leaders, Jeffries and Schumer, do not seem interested in cutting ICE funding or even making them remove their cowardly masks. The People have made it clear they will not be silenced or bullied into submission.
As a reminder, wearing a mask during protests not only protects you from future complications from COVID and other illnesses, but it is also a sign of solidarity with immigrant populations who are avoiding vital medical care so as not to risk being kidnapped by ICE. Masking can also help shield you from the federal government’s growing database, labeling anyone who dares question, or even record, them a “domestic terrorist.”
The differences between ICE agents and protestors wearing masks are very clear. ICE agents are federal government employees who wear masks to hide their identity so they can terrorize us with anonymity, avoid consequences, and try to blend back into society when off-duty while being paid with our hard-earned tax dollars. We need to wear high-quality masks (e.g., N95s), unlike their cowardly cloth masks, because we have the right to privacy, safety, and health. Do not let yourself be swayed by the idea that showing your face is brave. That will only result in you being added to their list and potentially exposed to illness. Protect your health and identity.
The Weather
The CDC-based wastewater map was last updated on February 6th, and depicts wastewater levels for the period January 25 - January 31, 2026, showing “very high” or “high” levels across 17 states, most of which are in the Midwest and Northeast. It shows “moderate” levels across 12 states, an increase from our last Report, scattered across the country. It shows “low” or “very low” levels across 21 states and Guam. Three states and Guam are reporting limited coverage, where only some of the state’s wastewater centers are reporting, so the data is based on less than 5%. There is no data for the US Virgin Islands, Washington DC, and North Dakota.
Note: our warm-tones wastewater map is currently under construction, but it will return in the coming weeks.
Regional trends show a slight increase in the Midwest and Northeast. The winter wave peaked a few weeks ago, but levels might be rising again in these regions. Though the wave may have passed, it is important to continue taking precautions, as historically, during a surge, elevated levels last at least 2 months.
Remember that using multiple layers of protection is the most effective way to avoid the COVID, flu, and other air-borne viruses. For example, regular use of an N95/KN95/KF94 mask in public spaces, combined with the latest booster, would provide 2 layers of COVID protection. It is important to remember that no single layer is 100% effective — though masking with an N95/KN95/KF94 mask is the most effective single layer, as it filters out over 90% of all incoming air pollution, allergens, and virus particles.
Vaccination with the most up-to-date booster is important because it helps reduce the risk of death and hospitalization and shortens the time a person is contagious, which can decrease the risk of passing illness to others. Despite this, vaccination alone will not prevent a COVID infection. COVID is a vascular disease, and even non-severe and asymptomatic cases increase the risk for complications such as Long COVID down the line. Layers of protection are important to protect you and the ones you love from developing chronic illness and disability.
For the full list of available layers of protection or help creating an accessibility policy for your next function, check out our Safer Gatherings Guide.
Emergency Room Use
Another sign of the serious impact of COVID is the percentage of emergency room visits involving a new COVID diagnosis. According to the CDC, the proportion of Emergency Room visits involving a COVID diagnosis is in the “low” category. However, they note that the severity of winter weather could be impacting this data, as people are less likely to seek medical care in severe weather.
Unlike our last Report that showed many states declining, we are now seeing more states “increasing” or “likely increasing.” The CDC still ranks the overall US epidemic trend for this period as “not changing” — “Probability COVID-19 epidemic is growing: 39%.”
Additionally, this year’s particularly severe flu season continues with cases in 9 states “growing” or “likely growing.” These states are scattered around the country. Washington, New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, Florida, South Carolina, and Iowa show likely growth in both COVID and flu cases.
Variants
The CDC publishes SARS-CoV-2 variant proportions every four weeks on Tuesdays. As of January 16, 2026, the CDC’s wastewater variant tracking shows that variant XFG, AKA “Stratus,” still makes up a majority of infections, but its dominance seems to be dropping as it is predicted to account for 53% of all infections, the lowest percentage since August 2nd, 2025. Behind it, other XFG derivative variants such as XFG.14.1 (16%), XFG.14.1 (16%), XFG.1.1 (8%), and XFG.6 (8%) are gaining ground in the total infections they account for. This suggests that, unlike one new variant taking the lead as the next dominant strain, 50% of infections are made up by a variety of smaller variants. This is the kind of variant outlook that could make it easier to contract multiple COVID infections over a shorter period, because the infection for which one’s body has produced the most antibodies in a previous infection is not necessarily the one they will come into contact with next.
If you have not received your COVID-19 booster this year, it is not too late. WHO has noted that the most recent booster should offer protection against hospitalization and death from XFG variants.
Graphic source: CDC Wastewater Variant Tracker
Measles and Leaving the World Health Organization
Measles continues to spread in the US, with cases in South Carolina skyrocketing to over 900 since October. The Make America Healthy Again “MAHA” movement continues to make us sicker with their reckless abandonment of public health, being to blame for these continued outbreaks. Measles is now also spreading in an ICE concentration camp in Texas. This echoes yet another haunting moment in the history of fascism, with a notable typhus outbreak in the Warsaw Ghetto in the 1940s. Like the Ghettos, the ICE camps are known to have poor sanitation and diets, physically and mentally abusive guards, all of which directly contribute to worse health. The courageous detainees in the camps, like the Jews in the Ghettos, are organizing and pushing back. We applaud their bravery and are standing with them.
As measles outbreaks in the US continue to grow, we are on the verge of losing our “measles eliminated” status. This status is determined by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is the Western Hemisphere branch of the World Health Organization (WHO). Not coincidentally, the US federal government has also decided to leave the WHO, as part of the government’s ongoing war on public health. This withdrawal will have far-reaching consequences for public health at home and abroad, as the US is the major funder behind the WHO. These continued nationalist actions by the US government will only harm us in the immediate and distant future.
Wins
A major strategy of authoritarianism is to make us feel isolated and powerless. Despite the abject horror we witness every day, people across the country continue to rise up, fight back, and WIN! Construction of an ICE concentration camp in Oklahoma was blocked by locals, and more protests are breaking out across the country to block the conversion of more warehouses into camps. The Minneapolis community had scored a major win against the occupying force, with over 700 ICE agents being pulled out of the city. Momentum is building. Communities are banding together. We are stronger in numbers. They cannot overcome us. Get involved by joining your local mutual aid group, getting to know your neighbors, and coordinating community patrols to watch for ICE agents.
In another major win, telehealth services for Medicare have been extended until 2027! Telehealth services are essential for increasing access to essential healthcare services. This win is a direct result of the coordinated pressure People’s CDC and many other organizations put on our elected officials.
Black History in Public Health
In honor of Black History Month, we will be highlighting some noteworthy Black figures in public health history. In the early 1700s, smallpox was spreading rapidly in Boston, Massachusetts. Onesimus, an enslaved African, shared a novel prevention method from his homeland: inoculating healthy people with a small amount of pus from a sick person, a very early form of vaccination. A couple of white physicians actually listened to Onesimus and tried out the method with great success. This story might sound a bit familiar, as it’s the same technique used by Edward Jenner for controlling smallpox in England almost a century after Onesimus. Jenner is often credited as the “father of vaccination.” However, Africans were clearly piloting vaccines long before Jenner was born.
Take Action
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.
Know Your Rights when dealing with ICE. Join up with detention defense movements in your area. Each region will have its own strategies, but this video from the Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, explains the basics and reminds us that “ICE is legally allowed to lie to you.” Check out our COVID Safety for Protests toolkit and remember to wear a mask — if not for yourself, for everyone else!
Make the classroom safer. Encouraging your student(s) to wear a high-quality mask is a fantastic way to help protect them. You can also add an air purifier to the classroom. Studies have shown that adding an air purifier can significantly reduce infection rates not only of COVID-19 but also of many other common illnesses in classrooms and daycares. You can meet with teachers or go to your local school board meeting to pitch the idea. If you are worried about the sensitivity around discussing COVID, you can frame the discussion in terms of colds and the flu more generally, since the air purifiers work on those as well! Teachers can pitch this idea to their unions as a reasonable workplace safety measure. No one wants their child coming home sick. Teachers don’t enjoy getting sick at work. Air purifiers are a simple intervention that benefits everyone. If costs are an issue, propose a classroom/school fundraiser. We need to be creative in these sensitive and tumultuous times on how to keep ourselves and our communities safer. See our Safer Gatherings toolkit for more tips on making classrooms safer.
Remove RFK Jr. petition: We continue to call for the removal of RFK Jr. 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.
With the spread of COVID, Flu, RSV, and measles in the US, we need to keep ourselves and our communities safe by using KF94/KN95/N95 masks and as many layers of protection as possible. Our Safer Gathering Guide provides recommendations for safer meetings and gatherings. Please continue to share it!
Notes: 1) The numbers in this report were current as of 2/6/2026. 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.