PMC COVlD Update, Sep 28, 2026 (US): 🔸We're in a 13th COVlD wave. 🔸40 states and territories continue to have COVlD outbreaks, stable from last week. 🔸Levels likely peaked between Sep 7-13 at a PMC-estimated 580,000 new daily infections, though there are data quality issues noted below. Use layered COVlD safety: 🔹Get boosted ASAP, especially if high transmission nearby. Novavax has a lower side effect profile than other boosters and comparable effectiveness. 🔹Mask up with a well-fitting N95 respirator. 🔹Improve air hygiene: Open windows, flip the HVAC from auto to on, shut off the car's recirculation 'feature,' add air purifiers, and / or use air quality monitors. 🔹Test daily when sick, exposed, or gathering, and stay home when sick. 🔹Monitor your blood pressure to reduce the risk of surprise post-acute cardiovascular sequelae. 🔹Spread accurate information by sending dashboard screenshots to family, checking the public health credentials and experience of information sources, and avoiding sharing 'miracle' interventions. Details: The US has at least 40 states and territories with COVlD outbreaks, the same number reported last week. These include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. There are likely outbreaks in additional states. The summary statistic of 40 only includes counties with observed data, rather than estimated data. For example, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, and Tennessee likely have outbreaks, but monitoring is poor. Nuance: Note that while PMC uses forecasting to estimate national statistics through Sep 28 and beyond, the state-level data do not, meaning they are now 9 days old. If the national forecast is correct, levels peaked between Sept 7-13, closely aligned with our prior forecasts. This would mean that levels are declining more so than depicted in the map. Levels often decline slowly, suggesting the need for ongoing precautions. Additionally, Biobot and 200 CDC sites are offline this week, and both have experienced major retroactive corrections of late, so the national forecast has more uncertainty than usual. For example, we could see the peak adjusted upward or a double peak. It is unclear how quickly reporting will resume at the offline sites. Links: 🔗PMC home page: pmc19.com 🔗Interactive map (best on a computer): pmc19.com/map 🔗Technical Appendix: pmc19.com/PMC_COVID_Appendix… 🔗Recent NBC News Coverage: nbcnews.com/data-graphics/cd… 🔗Recent Detroit Free Press Coverage: freep.com/story/news/health/…

New this week: The US federal government used keyword searches to target topics of research grants to defund. COVlD was among the highest-priority banned topics. (Link next)