People's CDC, COVID-19, Weather Report, April 20, 2026
COVID is at low levels, the future of the CDC is at stake, take action to oppose the Surgeon General
CDC Updates
The acting CDC Director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, withheld an invaluable report in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on March 19, 2026, which showed that COVID vaccines reduced hospitalizations by 55% and emergency department visits by 50% among healthy adults between September 2025 and December 2025. The acting CDC director claims he delayed publishing this important report because of concerns about the methodology. The methodology used an approach routinely used to determine vaccine effectiveness. Learn more about the CDC’s approach using observational studies to study vaccine effectiveness.
The CDC also has not had an appointed director since the HHS Secretary RFK Jr. unreasonably removed Dr. Susan Monarez in August 2025 for her willingness to protect CDC scientists, support vaccines, and maintain the CDC’s integrity. Dr. Erica Schwartz has since been nominated this week to lead the CDC with an extensive background in healthcare and medicine. It is important that she maintains scientific integrity and prevents the spread of false information at the CDC. In addition, other agency staff were also appointed, including the CDC deputy director as chief operating officer, chief medical officer, and a senior counselor for public health at HHS.
With all of the issues at CDC and Health and Human Services, public health needs solidarity and unity. To that end, The People’s CDC signed onto the People’s Health Platform by Defend Public Health. Their platform supports a variety of important health topics and policies, including equitable universal healthcare, science-based public health, and restoring public health infrastructure.
The Weather
The CDC-based wastewater map was updated on April 16th, and depicts wastewater levels for the period April 5 to April 11. The CDC map has some new changes: moderate, high, and very high levels are now shown in yellow, orange, and red, which depict high intensity or danger.
The CDC reports one state with “very high” and one state and one territory with “moderate” levels, and most other states and territories as “low” or “very low” levels. Four states report limited coverage, meaning only some of the state’s wastewater centers are reporting, so the data are based on less than 5% of the population, and they may not be accurate for the entire state. North Dakota and the Virgin Islands continue to report no data available. Regional data indicate that all regions have decreased to very low levels.
Other Respiratory and Infectious Diseases
The CDC indicates that flu season is nearly over, with wastewater levels for flu at “very low” nationally. This season, there have been 30 million illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations, and 23,000 deaths. We have all been taught to tolerate the flu as a baseline annoyance, accepting its harms as unpreventable realities of the cold winter months. But the reality is that we do not have to accept flu deaths. Indoor air-cleaning infrastructure, robust masking requirements and access, affordable flu testing, isolation guidance and support, paid sick leave, free access to seasonal vaccines, and other policies could meaningfully reduce the number of flu cases each year.
RSV levels remain low nationally, but high or very high in some Midwestern states, and are increasing across the central regions.
According to WastewaterSCAN, norovirus and rotavirus are high and very high, respectively. It is important to maintain hand hygiene to protect against these infectious diseases, as they are spread primarily through contaminated surfaces or contaminated food or 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, and since the start of 2026, the total cases have increased in the past few months from 1,281 to 1,748, and last year alone ended with 2,288 total cases during those 12 months. The majority of cases are being detected in South Carolina, Utah, and Texas. Vaccination remains the most effective tool to prevent the spread and development of a serious infection.
Actions
Oppose Case Means’ nomination: The Senate HELP committee meeting in February did not go well for the administration. Your voice matters! Numerous senators appear unwilling to support her confirmation. We continue to ask for your support to oppose Casey Means for Surgeon General as she remains uniquely unqualified for the job. Previously, she questioned and doubted the importance of the childhood vaccine schedule. She also has a major financial conflict of interest through her company, which sells so-called “natural” products with the intent of opposing conventional medicine and profiting personally. Although she says she will resign from her company if confirmed as the next Surgeon General, her conspiratorial and unscientific beliefs around autism, raw milk, and birth control could cause grave harm to the public, especially as her platform and reach would expand exponentially if nominated.
Protect COVID vaccines: The CDC is exploring a diagnosis code for adverse reactions from COVID vaccines by the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee. COVID vaccines remain an invaluable tool in the public health toolbox to protect against COVID infections. Take action and email nchsicd10cm@cdc.gov by May 15, 2026, and let them know that this diagnosis code must be carefully considered and clear guidelines must be included to indicate a cause and effect, and not purely an association.
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.
Notes: 1) The numbers in this report were current as of 4/19/2026. 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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