PMC report for Feb 23, 2026 Heat map showing CDC levels by state PMC estimates of 1 in 58 people actively infectious (1.7% of the population) and 850,000 new daily infections.

PMC COVlD Report (2/23/26): Transmission has increased in the South, while stable across much of the U.S.

Using harmonized wastewater data, we project...
✴️18 states with High/Very High levels
✴️1 in 58 Americans actively infectious
✴️850,000 new daily infections

Link: pmc19.com/data
THREAD 1 of 3 🧵

“The picture that emerged was of a slow shift playing out beneath the surface of entire populations: a rise in cognitive problems, subtle declines in functional capacity, and lost independence.”

“That kind of replication carried weight. It appeared to confirm that Covid wasn’t simply causing short-term confusion or “brain fog,” but also leaving structural and biochemical footprints in the brains of people who’d never been hospitalized…”

“A structure involved in immune regulation and waste clearance in the brain was also enlarged, and blood tests pointed to ongoing stress and injury in brain cells. When the researchers repeated the analysis in a separate group of patients, the same abnormalities appeared again.”

There are people who want you to believe that *this* is a deadly sin?

Y'all should win an award for this 🎯 video. 👏👏👏

U.S. Olympic men’s cross-country ski team member Ben Ogden, second from left, speaks at a news conference Thursday, Feb. 5 at the competition venue in Tesero, Italy. From left, Ogden’s teammates are Zak Ketterson, JC Schoonmaker and Zanden McMullen. (Nathaniel Herz for FasterSkier)

Masked members of the U.S. women’s Olympic cross-country ski team pose for a photo Thursday, Feb. 5 after a news conference at their competition venue in Tesero, Italy. From left , Jessie Diggins, Hailey Swirbul, Sammy Smith, Julia Kern, Novie McCabe and Rosie Brennan. (Nathaniel Herz for FasterSkier)

Encouraging to see some members of the US Olympic team wearing masks to protect their health ahead of competition.

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It's the test I trust and the company I've ordered from consistently the past 2 years. Better validity and lower cost than other rapid antigen tests.

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Follow @michael-hoerger.bsky.social👇
Michael Hoerger:
"During #COVlD" is today.
In fact, the recent wave peak was about double the estimates of each of the first 3 waves. Most infections are on the back end of waves. Repeat infections add cumulative harms.
#maskup 😷

Fig 1: Graph of 12 waves Fig 2: "Barometer" showing above average transmission Fig 3: Year-over-year graph, which informs the analytic forecast Fig 4: Forecast described in post

The wave peak is now estimated >10% higher than last week at 1.2 million new daily infections, nearly double the Delta wave.

We expect sustained high transmission (≈600,000 to 750,000 new daily infections) the next few weeks as COVlD circulates through schools/families.
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Heat map using CDC data. National PMC prevalence estimate noted; estimated incidence of 732,000 new daily infections.

During this 12th COVlD wave, the CDC reports 1-in-3 states have "High" or "Very High" levels.

PMC estimates the proportion of residents actively infectious (prevalence):
◾️USA: 1 in 67
◾️IA: 1 in 27
◾️MI: 1 in 25
◾️IN & CT: 1 in 23
◾️ME: 1 in 21
◾️OK & SD: 1 in 17

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Survey flyer

If you find our weekly updates helpful, please complete our 10-min survey.

Findings will provide preliminary data in support of larger COVlD-related studies. 🙏
tinyurl.com/pmc2026
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Heat map from CDC data with PMC estimates. Description of "Very High" states in next post

Based on today's CDC & Biobot data, we estimate the following for the week of Jan 19:

🔸1 in 52 people in the U.S. actively infectious
🔸25% chance of exposure in a room of 15 ppl
🔸Nearly 1 million new daily infections
🔸5 cumulative infections per person all-time (avg)
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The lingering shadow of epidemics: post-acute sequelae across history The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has drawn global attention to post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS), with millions affected by post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC, or Long COVID). While Long COVID is newly ...

And the vast majority are fine with that!! The post acute sequelae are enough to make any critical thinker weep!!
www.cell.com/trends/immun...

What we are seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg. The focus on blaming the vaccines instead of the virus will only continue to make things worse. Condemning a whole generation that has not even born yet.
#COVID #LongCovid

a woman wearing a white mask stands in front of a book shelf ALT: a woman wearing a white mask stands in front of a book shelf

All four of our fam

I have to remind my homeschooled teenagers that we’re not crazy for continuing to take all precautions to avoid the plague SarsCov2.😷😮‍💨🤧🥴
It’s so lonely seeing everyone live like it’s 2019. But we know what goes around will come back around in another form. i.g. chicken pox=shingles, EBV=MS😵 etc.

An extremely tiny spring posy from 2025 including a delicate speckly violet, deep blue speedwell & deep purple gold-edged primula, in a minuscule grey-blue ink sample bottle

An extremely tiny spring posy from last year including a speckly violet, speedwell & deep purple gold-edged primula, in a minuscule blue ink sample bottle

The Price of Denial Early Warnings, Arrogant Dismissal, and the Lingering Cost of COVID's Immune Legacy

Thank you @fitterhappieraj.bsky.social for warning the few who listened that even mild COVID infections can cause immune system damage. It’s shameful you had to endure insults & censorship simply for telling the truth & trying to help people.

“I hope the record shows that some of us tried to warn you, not for credit, but because the immune system deserved better stewardship than it received.”

“Vindication, when it arrives quietly and without acknowledgement, is a hollow reward… It is the persistent hubris that treats early, mechanistic warnings as threats rather than contributions…”

“Excess respiratory illness, rising cancer concerns, unexplained reactivations. These are not abstract. They represent preventable burden born of a refusal to countenance uncomfortable possibilities when they were first raised.”

Survey flyer

Please share across platforms. We're conducting a 2026 survey for anyone who uses our COVlD info. 🙏

It helps us with dashboard improvements & supports grant applications aimed at improving COVlD mitigation + public health.

Takes about 10 mins:
tinyurl.com/pmc2026

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12 waves of COVlD Pandemic barometer: Higher than 88% of the past 100 days, 73% of the past year, 68% of the entire pandemic. Year over year graph Forecast of slowly declining transmission.

We are in the 12th COVlD wave of the U.S.

Current transmission is higher than 68% of all days since the pandemic onset in 2020.
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Alabama Moderate Alaska Very Low Arizona Very Low Arkansas High* California Very Low Colorado Low Connecticut Very High Delaware Moderate District of Columbia Very Low Florida Very Low Georgia Very Low Guam Very Low Hawaii Very Low Idaho Very Low Illinois Very High Indiana Very High Iowa High Kansas Very High Kentucky Moderate Louisiana Moderate Maine High Maryland High Massachusetts Very High Michigan Very High* Minnesota Moderate Mississippi Low* Missouri Very High* Montana High Nebraska High Nevada Very Low New Hampshire Moderate New Jersey Low New Mexico Moderate New York High* North Carolina Low North Dakota High* Ohio Very High Oklahoma Moderate* Oregon Very Low Pennsylvania High Rhode Island High South Carolina Very Low South Dakota High Tennessee Very Low Texas Low Utah Low Vermont High Virginia Moderate Washington Very Low West Virginia Very High Wisconsin Moderate Wyoming High U.S. Proportion Actively Infectious 1 in 55 (1.8%) New Daily Infections 892,000

Nationally, we are seeing an estimated 892,000 new daily SARS-CoV-2 infections, meaning a 1 in 4 chance of exposure in a room of 15 people. Risk varies considerably by state.

We are approaching an average of 5 infections per person since pandemic onset.

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Heat map and PMC estimates, 1 in 55 infectious and 892,000 new daily infections for Jan 12. We expedited the report to release it two days early.

The size of the winter COVlD wave has been revised upward as post-holiday data come in.

We estimate 1 in 55 people in the U.S. are actively infectious.

🔥WV: 1 in 14
🔥IN: 1 in 15
🔥MI & OH: 1 in 21
🔥MO: 1 in 22
🔥CT: 1 in 24
🔥KS: 1 in 25
🔥MA & IL: 1 in 27

Quick 🧵 1/4

Drones detect deadly virus in Arctic whales' breath Whale breath collected by drones is giving clues to the health of wild humpbacks and other whales.

Here's a story about detection of cetacean morbillivirus, in the same genus as measles virus, in whales' blowhole breath. I'm contemplating what we can learn by exploring transmission between animals. HT Julian Tang

bbc.com/news/article...

I'm old enough to remember when smoking around others was socially acceptable, in restaurants, bars, workplaces etc. Secondhand smoke was everywhere.

We changed norms once we accepted that shared air = shared risk.

Airborne viruses are no different

Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts.

George, Edwin and Josephine Moran
Ed, Caroline, Jack, Rose and Rory

Repeat after me:

I will wear a N95 respirator as I travel in shared indoor spaces (healthcare facilities, airports, public restrooms, mall, etc)

I will not visit anyone upon feeling ANY symptoms indicating possible infection (e.g., tiredness, headache).

I will test.

Air purifiers are my friend.