this post was submitted on 09 Aug 2025
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The summer surge of COVID-19 doesn't appear to be slowing down — instead, a key indicator for tracking the spread of the virus has increased, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In an update shared Friday, official data showed wastewater activity for COVID-19 is now at a "moderate" level nationwide, up from "low" the previous week.

Wastewater levels for the virus are currently the highest in the Western U.S., the data also showed. States in this region showing high levels include: Alaska, California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah.

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[–] Big_Boss_77@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 2 days ago

There is no COVID in USA.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Time to cancel mRNA vaccine research!

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There will be mRNA research, just not in the US. Witch doctors are back in fashion.

[–] NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Maybe I’ll finally get to live my dream of being an old timey doctor (by just telling people I’m a doctor) and then just doing a bunch of drugs together to get the ghosts out of their blood until they die and I can clear out all of their valuables.

Just hoping for some silver linings.

[–] MilitantAtheist@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

You just described health insurance companies

[–] Mostly_Roblox@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Wow, didn't think that would be coming back...

[–] fraksken@infosec.pub 61 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Better quickly defund the CDC to get better numbers

[–] harsh3466@lemmy.ml 24 points 3 days ago

Remember, if you stop counting cases it just goes away!

[–] 667@lemmy.radio 15 points 3 days ago (2 children)

No no, just revise the reports.

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 18 points 3 days ago

just grab a sharpie and scribble on a map like any stable genius would do.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Porqé not los dos ?

[–] trinsec@piefed.social 49 points 3 days ago (9 children)

I find this so weird, here in Europe, and notably in the Netherlands, Covid levels are very low and not rising at all. We all live fairly normal lives nowadays.
Why is USA such a different case? Is it a lack of vaccinations?

More along the lines of a lack of education.

[–] stormeuh@lemmy.world 39 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Vaccination rates would be my first guess as well. Individually vaccines reduce the severity of symptoms, which makes it less likely for people to notice and report that they have COVID. The vaccine also reduces the viral load spread by individuals, therefore making it less likely for them to spread the virus, and it also makes it less likely for you to become sick if you come into contact with the virus.

Considering the difference in population density between the USA and The Netherlands (NL is way denser) I'd say this is a good demonstration of how vaccines are miracles of modern science.

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Healthy people under 65 in the US are not allowed any more Covid boosters until an updated version comes out and most people who were keeping up with it have now run out of protection.

[–] yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 3 days ago (3 children)

To be fair, that's still significantly more than Germany.

In Germany you get exactly two boosters until you are 60 if you are not at risk. Unless you pay for yourself of course.

[–] faercol@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago

Wow that's so weird. In France you can get a free booster every 6 months, whatever your age.

Flu vaccine is not free below 60 though. (It's 30 euros I think, something like that).

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Fair, but in the US you can’t even pay yourself now. You just aren’t allowed. RFK decided for us that the risk of vaccination outweighs the risk of COVID.

[–] bradboimler@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is what I initially thought but my friend said I could still, say, pay out of pocket. I'm hearing conflicting statements.

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

This is what I was told at Kaiser, then I went to a private pharmacy to double check. They aren’t allowed to give it, regardless of insurance or out of pocket.

If you lie and say you have an organ transplant or some equally serious immunological condition you can get it, and they aren’t allowed to ask for proof.

You will have to pay out of pocket though, and it will be awkward explaining why you don’t have insurance while having a bankrupting condition.

[–] bradboimler@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I believe you. Do you know if this applies to all states? If worse comes to worse I'm willing to travel to get my vaccine.

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

I was told by both that it’s a CDC issue, not a company or state issue. Besides leaving the US, lying is the way to get it.

Fair, that sucks.

Though US-Americans should be somewhat used to paying for medical services. Over here it is definitely not common to pay for vaccines. I don't even know how much paying for a COVID booster is and haven't found anything since no one is wondering this.

As a comparison, the HPV vaccines are 480€ if you are 18 or older (which, again, hardly anyone pays/is able to easily afford). I wouldn't be surprised if a COVID booster was like 50€.

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 2 points 3 days ago

Her in Australia, you can get one every 12 mo this if you wish. It’s recommended if you’re high risk. Kids, it is no longer recommended or available unless high risk.

[–] RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 8 points 2 days ago

Here in Finland nobody even talks about covid anymore. It's just another season flu, basically

[–] oakey66@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

It’s the combination of a lack of vaccinations along with a horrendously bad healthcare system.

[–] sykaster 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I mean people do get covid, I have it myself now (fellow Dutchie here). I wouldn't have bothered testing if a friend of mine weren't super sensitive to covid. It's really just like a cold.

[–] trinsec@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Covid is still around, but our levels are fairly low. Here the covid levels are also tested with the wastewater. So if theirs is on the rise, and ours is so low and stable, then there's something weird going on. Looking at the other comments, I suppose vaccinations play a large role in this.

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

As someone "over there", it isn't just vaccinations. The increasingly (and now fully) fascist government and corpocratic economic structure have given rise to what I perceive to be significantly higher rates of Social Darwinist and other "fuck you, I got mine" attitudes, especially among men but also in general. This, combined with a total dereliction of duty on the part of regulators (see: Fascist Corpocracy) and the fact that people are facing both economic and direct verbal pressure from their bosses to come in when they are sick (again, see: Fascist Corpocracy), and finally with the coup de grace of people being whiny-ass imbeciles who "can't stand" having a mask on, has led to a completely uncontrollable spiral towards what I can only conclude will be the breeding ground of another pandemic (because, as this news proves, THIS ONE AIN'T OVER YET, despite what seemingly everyone wants to pretend). I wear a P100 half-face respirator everywhere I go, including 9 hours a day as a high school teacher. I've had COVID 6 times. The only reason I'm still alive is because I've gotten the vaccine re-upped at every possible opportunity.

[–] sykaster 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The wastewater testing is a great point, I didnt think they'd still be measuring that

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They've tried to get rid of it... Believe you me.

[–] sykaster 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What do you mean, any context for this?

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh, sure. Ever since 2022, people have been sick of the reality, that the pandemic isn't just neatly going away. Several states, including mine, have made it harder and harder to find the current wastewater data, let alone any other statistics. I currently just search for the exact title of the webpage, because otherwise it's a link tree five pages deep, and I don't want to have to play TheWikiGame every time I try to figure out how dangerous it is to be around people. The CDC data tracker was, at one point one to two years ago (haven't checked recently, since I finally just starred it), so difficult to find in their mess of webpages that it took me no less than ten clicks to get to it. Every other screen wanted me to search "by county" (or just had vapid nonsense that was just watered down from their 2022 recommendations) because they had hidden the nationwide map away. This, to me, screams that they don't want people seeing the screaming yellow and red all over the map every two months when they remember "oh yeah, COVID exists."

[–] sykaster 2 points 1 day ago

That's interesting, we were talking about The Netherlands, where i can easily find all data related to covid on tbe government website: https://www.rivm.nl/corona/actueel/weekcijfers

I'm sorry its rough over there. Here there seems to be an uptick, but nothing crazy.

[–] Alinor@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Just a guess, but USA has limited paid sick leave days or something right? Maybe that also has an impact? People just start going to work sick after a while, infecting even more people.

[–] runner_g@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 3 days ago

The US has 0 federally mandated sick leave days. Very few people care about covid anymore. I have always attributed the summer surge to the significant increase in travel when school's not in session.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Ding ding ding

That, and the CDC having been wrecked and RFK dismantling the vaccination board, and RFK cancelling 500 million in vaccine research and... and .... and.....

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[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago

I think Republicans spit into each other's mouths to intentionally spread COVID to own the libs or something.

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[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

I hope all these MAGAts die

[–] fubarx@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago

“If we stop testing right now, we’d have very few cases, if any.”

[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago

Pfizer Covid vaccine for young children may not be renewed by FDA   https://lemmy.world/post/34184142

[–] chxpdev@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Fire the guy who did these statistics!

[–] scytale@piefed.zip 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Are the booster shots still getting updated? I’ll be getting it along with my annual flu shot probably next month.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Kennedy's CDC took them away from younger healthy people, so insurance isn't covering them. Not sure if you could get one by paying cash.

(Boy, he's really pushing the family name into the shitter, isn't he?)

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Given the whole roadkill-eating thing, I think it's closer to Namira from The Elder Scrolls

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 2 points 2 days ago

You would think dead wives and prostitutes would have done that for most people...

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

It's always been in the shitter if you've been paying attention.

[–] Zedd_Prophecy@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

In the 70s and 80s things were very much not in the shitter... You just had that nuclear war thing hanging over your head when you stopped to think about it.

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Well, things may not have been, but we're talking about the Kennedy family name. That has been in the shitter for a while, if you were paying attention.

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