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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

My final #COVID19 update for a couple of months (due to a vacation.) - COVID levels still rising. - COVID worse in the South & West than the Northeast & Midwest. - This surge is still lower than past surges. - I've included tips for how to check risks in your area. medium.com/@augieray_66...

medium.com

COVID’s Summer Surge Continues: My Last Weekly Update (August 28, 2026) for a While

The summer surge continues and shows signs it will extend well into September. COVID is high in some spots, and it’s certainly worth…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I often speak about how much both the surges and the lulls of #COVID19 have fallen. I remain concerned and cautious about infections given the science of COVID's potential chronic impact on health and wellbeing. But lower risks are worth celebrating, IMO. How much have they fallen? An analysis: 1/5

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

New weekly update published. Our summer surge continues and is expected to do so another 3 or 4 weeks. We're still lower than past surges, however. This update also discussed this week's changes to the CDC's NWSS and the future federal funding of wastewater monitoring. medium.com/@augieray_66...

medium.com

US Summer COVID Surge Continues, But Data is Getting Weird and Harder to Get: Update for August 21…

First things first: COVID is still surging and is (for now) remaining lower than past surges. The South, the Bay Area, Alaska, and Hawaii…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

So, the same guy who's been ranting non-stop about communism is now canceling military exercises with South Korea because of his "very good relationship with..." communist leader Kim Jong Un. Is there nothing Republicans won't believe so long as Trump says it? newrepublic.com/post/214399/...

newrepublic.com

Trump Hands North Korea’s Kim Jong Un a Massive Gift

Donald Trump appears to think North Korea’s dictator is his friend.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

If you're in Anchorage, I'd definitely start being cautious about viral risks. For some reason, #COVID19 in Anchorage wastewater has exploded to near-record levels in the past week. Unsure why this is happening, but it's concerning. It is 12x higher than any other US sewershed at present.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

COVID is rising in the US, but the overall trends are positive. Up until January 2024, each winter and summer COVID surge and lull was generally growing. Since then, the trend has been very consistent through five winter and summer surges, each lower than the next. Will the trend continue? 1/2

Chart of COVID levels in US wastewater from WastewaterSCAN data. It shows two trends during the pandemic. Up until January 2024, each winter and summer COVID surge was growing, and the lulls in between surges also were typically rising, as well. Since January 2024, however, the trend has been very consistent through five winter and summer surges, each lower than the next (declining from over 1,000 PMMoV in January 2024, to over 600 in summer 2024, almost 400 in January 2025, less than 200 in January 2026, and around 100 today—although still rising in this surge.) Likewise, lulls have also declined, from over 100 PMMoV in Spring 2024 to under 15 PMMoV this past spring.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

New weekly update of #COVID19 in the US has been published. Pretty much the same story it's been for weeks—still surging, but still significantly lower than past surges. But, there are hotspots in the US. medium.com/@augieray_66...

medium.com

COVID’s Moderate Summer Surge Continues in the US: Update for August 14, 2026

Both the positive rate of COVID testing and COVID in wastewater continue to rise, but as mentioned in past updates, the levels are much…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

My weekly update on #COVID19 levels and risks in the US. COVID continues to rise (both positive rate and COVID levels in wastewater). Viral activity is highest in the South, along with Alaska and Hawaii. medium.com/@augieray_66...

medium.com

COVID’s Modest US Surge Continues, with Higher Levels in the South: Update for August 7, 2026

Data from the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) and WastewaterSCAN indicate our still-modest COVID surge continues. Infection…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Trump's an ineffective troll who rages behind his Truth Social account while the rest of the world ignores and laughs at him—and us. We either endorse this aberrant and harmful situation or we fight by voting in November. What will you do? #VoteBlue www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

washingtonpost.com

Trump keeps making threats. The world has stopped flinching.

The president’s bombast has ceased to rattle world leaders, who have seen him fenced in by courts, rebuffed by Congress and strung along by Iran.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

#COVID19 is still low in most of the US, but this is not the case in certain spots in Alaska, Florida, and Georgia, where around 1 in 100 is infectious. There are other spots with modest rises in COVID, such as in AL, LA, OH, and TX. It's smart to take care in parts of the US now. But… 1/2

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

My new weekly update on #COVID19 risks in the US: - This summer's surge remains quite modest. We may have just this week surpassed the lowest level the US experienced in the prior four years. - Risks are varied. Hotspots are in AK, FL, HI, LA, and OH. medium.com/@augieray_66...

medium.com

COVID’s Modest Summer Surge Continues, with Varied Risks: Update for July 31, 2026

COVID is rising in the US, but at a fairly consistent and modest pace. Thus far, this surge is well below past surges, although the risks…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

RIP Kavinsky. Two of my favorite DJs/electronic music artists have recently passed. Starcadian/Georgios Smaragdis was killed in an e-bike accident last year, and Kavinsky/Vincent ‌Belorgey was recently found dead at his home of a presumed stroke (at 50!). www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV_3...

youtube.com

Kavinsky - Nightcall (Drive Original Movie Soundtrack) (Official Audio)

YouTube video by Record Makers

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Healthcare workers: “We care for people.” Me: “Then you'll wear a mask?” HCW: “We don't care that much.” STUDY: “Hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections remain significant (and) associated with higher mortality rates than non-hospital-acquired infection.” www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Epidemiology and mortality among hospital-acquired cases of COVID-19 in the pre-Omicron and Omicron periods: A data-linkage study in Victoria, Australia

The aim of this study was to compare the epidemiology and mortality of hospital-acquired versus non-hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections among hospit…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

My weekly update on #COVID19 in the US: - The CDC NWSS's data is more complete but harder to interpret. It indicates COVID is rising in the West and Northeast. - WastwaterSCAN's data is less complete but more specific. It suggests the South is increasing. 1/2 medium.com/@augieray_66...

medium.com

COVID Low but Rising in the US, Particularly in South and West: Update for July 24, 2026

The latest data from the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) and WastewaterSCAN are not completely aligned. However, the new…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Conservatives ignoring science and putting their health at risk is nothing new. A new study found that, in the 2010s, “conservative Americans experienced worsening health and higher mortality than liberals.” 1/2 www.fastcompany.com/91561329/wid...

fastcompany.com

Conservatives are dying at higher rates than liberals. A new study points to mistrust in medicine

The health divide emerged over the last decade and has widened since 2020, according to research that links ideology to outcomes from heart disease, cancer, stroke, and other internal causes.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

We are in a (so far) small summer surge in the US. #COVID19 in wastewater has roughly tripled, but to put this into perspective, here is the chart of US sewersheds over the past 12 months. Our surge remains so mild you can barely see it relative to levels this past year.

Chart of the level of COVID in around 196 sewersheds over the past year. The chart shows many sewersheds over 500 PMMoV last September and many over 1,000 PMMoV this past winter. At present, a handful are over 100 PMMoV and none exceed 250 PMMoV.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

New weekly update on #COVID19 in the US: COVID is rising but remains low in aggergate. Risks are quite diverse. The NWSS indicates COVID viral activity is Moderate in TX, while 5 of the 7 sewersheds with the highest levels in WastewaterSCAN's dashboard are in FL. medium.com/@augieray_66...

medium.com

COVID Rising in Portions of the US but Remains Very Low in Most of the Nation: Update for July 17…

The latest National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) data hints that COVID is rising in portions of the West, while data from…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Air quality is no better today in the Midwest. Air is unhealthy in New York, very unhealthy in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, and hazardous in Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, and Milwaukee. Be careful!

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Proposal: Rather than test the military for low testosterone, we test for low IQ. That way, we can get a new Secretary of Defense.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Donald Trump is manipulating the stock market with his posts, and now he's selling early access to his posts so both he and Wall Street can profit from his manipulation. Meanwhile, he thinks your affordability crisis is a hoax. #VoteBlue www.cnn.com/2026/07/16/b....

cnn.com

Truth Social will sell Wall Street quicker access to posts | CNN Business

Truth Social will sell Wall Street firms quicker access to market-moving posts from President Donald Trump, the company said on Thursday.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

The WastewaterSCAN #COVID19 dashboard is bouncing around this week. Most of the sewersheds with elevated levels of COVID (4 of the top 6 at present) are in Florida. If we eliminated FL, we might not be having much of a surge at all. (I mean, it's not much of a surge anyway thus far.) FL chart:

Wastewater data of COVID levels in Florida over three months. The average stayed below a very low 20 PMMoV until May 26. Then it rose to 57 PMMoV in the three or four weeks following. Since then, COVID has risen abruptly to 142 PMMoC on July 6 and 327 PMMoV on July 7 (although very recent data is preliminary and subject to change.)

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

STUDY: "Grandparents had 9.9% higher hazard of #COVID19 infection during birthday risk windows. The risk was greater for birthdays of preschool-aged grandchildren (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.15) than during birthdays of school-aged grandchildren (AHR, 1.07)." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

jamanetwork.com

Children’s Birthday Gatherings and SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Grandparents

This cohort study uses Danish registry data to examine the association of grandchild birthdays, as a proxy for opportunity for social gathering, with SARS-CoV-2 infection in grandparents.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

“I will choose to remember the time before Trump. Because I believe in an America after Trump.” - Hunter Biden

@HunterBiden tweet:
When I heard about Senator Graham’s death last night, the first thing I thought about was not all the things he said and did in service of Donald Trump. I thought of the time before Donald Trump when he was a brother to Senator John McCain.

A time when senators from different parties could fight about politics and still be friends. A time when a conservative Republican from South Carolina could say of my father: “If you can’t admire Joe Biden as a person, you’ve got a problem. He’s the nicest person I’ve ever met in politics. As good a man as God ever created.”

That is the Senator Graham I will remember today. Not because I have forgotten what came after. Because in that memory there is hope. Hope for a country where brothers can fight like hell over policy and still share a meal, and a laugh, and the loss of the people they love.

I will choose to remember the time before Trump. Because I believe in an America after Trump.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

STUDY of patients with a #COVID19 diagnosis between June 1 and November 30, 2022, finds that total healthcare costs during 11 months of post-acute follow-up were 27% higher among adults and 42% higher among pediatric patients with COVID-19 compared to controls. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

Evaluation of long-term healthcare utilization and costs associated with COVID-19 among adults and children in the US

This study assessed long-term healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and direct medical costs associated with COVID-19 among adults and children in the United States. Using a large national claims ...

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

I've posted a detailed update on #COVID19 risks in the US. The CDC's NWSS isn't showing much of a trend, but WastewaterSCAN suggests COVID has more than doubled in a month. It still looks less like a broad national surge than like a series of brief, localized surges. medium.com/@augieray_66...

medium.com

COVID Is Rising for the First Time in 2026: Update for July 11, 2026

For several years, I provided weekly updates on COVID risks in the US. I suspended them three months ago, with COVID falling to near-record…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Both the level of #COVID19 in US wastewater and the positive rate of testing have almost doubled in the past 3 weeks. We're still WELL below the levels in past lulls, but we might not be within two or three weeks at this rate. 1/3

Six months of COVID wastewater data from the US. It peaked above 140 PMMoV six months ago, fell to around 14 in early June, and is up to around 26 PMMoV today.

2 years of data on the positive rate of testing for COVID in the US. It peaked at almost 12% in 2024 and around 9% in 2025. It fell to 0.8% this summer and has risen to 1.5% now.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

The positive rate of #COVID19 testing is rising, which signifies our summer surge is underway. The positive rate is still low relative to past lulls (1.5% now vs ~2% for lulls in 2025), but the trend is definitely rising at this point. Wastewater data was interrupted by the holiday weekend.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

No new wastewater data from the CDC today due to the holiday. #COVID19 is rising in the US for the first time since December, based on WastewaterSCAN's incomplete data. The positive rate is also gently rising. Thus far, the rise is modest and not accelerating. 1/2

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Will Republicans just sit back and put our nation's most sensitive information in the hands of a man who has mishandled national secrets and who has a suspiciously close history with Putin. Why would any president need a list of all foreign espionage targets? www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/u...

nytimes.com

Inside Intelligence Agencies, a Fight Over Building a Master List of Spies

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

I created an interactive tool that estimates the proportion of people who are infectious with #COVID19. The 2 data points you need are wastewater level today and 10 days ago, which you can get nationally and locally in many places, such as WastewaterSCAN. us-covid-infectious-estimates.netlify.app

us-covid-infectious-estimates.netlify.app

COVID Prevalence Estimator — Wastewater Signal Tool

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Republican Thomas Massie: “I think it’s ironic that we control the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and the White House, and we’re yelling election fraud? I mean, we won all the damn elections and we’re in charge.” A Republican loses a primary and finds a spine. thehill.com/homenews/hou...

thehill.com

Massie: Republicans need to ‘wake up’ to avoid ‘absolute shellacking’ in midterms

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) warned Thursday that Republicans could suffer major losses in November if the party doesn’t “wake up,” predicting an “absolute shellacking” for the GOP in the midterm ele…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

I added to my spreadsheet the 100th study showing repeated #COVID19 infections increase risks for Long COVID and chronic health problems. One recent study found a history of reinfection had a 9.7x higher odds of LC in children and adolescents. More info: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Studies

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

The Trump administration has now paid around $2.5 billion to companies to cancel their offshore windfarms. We're canceling renewable energy projects that provide power and save the planet, all because Donalt Trump considers windmills ugly. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/c...

nytimes.com

Trump Administration to Pay $765 Million to Cancel 4 More Wind Projects

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

This spring's #COVID19 lull is very notable. Between Spring 2022 and Spring 2025 (last year), the lowest level of COVID in wastewater was 91 PMMoV. We've been below that for 4 months. Between Spring 2022 and Spring 2026 (this year), the lowest was 47 PMMoV. We've been below that for 10 weeks. 1/2

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

I continue to worry about two primary things with #COVID19: COVID in kids and the impact of reinfections. This STUDY of LC in kids found that for children over 8 years, individuals with a history of reinfection had almost a 10X higher odds ratio of Long COVID. www.frontiersin.org/journals/ped...

frontiersin.org

Frontiers | SARS-CoV-2 reinfection: a possible contributing factor to long COVID in children and adolescents

BackgroundFollowing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, attention shifted towards patients who developed sequelae, persistent symptoms, or relapsing or remitti...

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Apropos of nothing in particular, according to US actuarial tables, an 80-year-old man has a 15 to 20% chance of dying in 2.5 years. Actuarial data indicates the average remaining life expectancy for an 80-year-old man is around 8.2 additional years. myannuitystore.com/resources/li...

myannuitystore.com

Life Expectancy Tables 2026: SSA, IRS RMD Charts by Age

At age 65, a man is expected to live 17 more years and a woman 19.7. See full SSA, IRS Uniform Lifetime (RMD), and cohort tables - updated 2026.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

No sign of the US summer #COVID19 surge—yet. New NWSS data (as of 6/6) shows no upward trend. Every state still at very low activity except MS (moderate) and LA (low). www.cdc.gov/wastewater/r... Biofire still shows no upward trend in positive rate. www.syndromictrends.com 1/4

cdc.gov

National Wastewater Data for Respiratory Viruses

View national wastewater viral activity data for Influenza A, COVID-19, and RSV.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

My spreadsheet of the long-term impact of #COVID19 infections has reached 3,600 studies. Recent additions show COVID linked to: - Increased risks for allergic conditions. - Lower clinical pregnancy rate in males. - 4x risk of subsequent initiation of TB treatment. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Studies

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

New data on #COVID19: COVID still declining with no sign of a summer surge. COVID remains near record lows. COVID is Very Low in every state (for the first time ever.) www.cdc.gov/wastewater/r... 1/2

cdc.gov

National Wastewater Data for Respiratory Viruses

View national wastewater viral activity data for Influenza A, COVID-19, and RSV.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus.

Two views of the White House. On the left is the White House we know with the green South Lawn. On the right, how it looks today, with a 5,000-seat UFC arena (looking an awful lot like a circus ring.)

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

The latest CDC NWSS wastewater data has been released, and of course, #COVID19 is remaining very low. Every state is at very low viral activity except for WV (low) and MS (moderate but limited data). COVID is at its lowest point in 5 years in all four regions. 1/2 www.cdc.gov/wastewater/r...

cdc.gov

Current Epidemic Trends (Based on Rt) for States

CFA’s Rt page estimates COVID-19, influenza, and RSV epidemic trends for U.S. states.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

#COVID19 is still dropping. We've been at historically low levels for over a month. The current level of COVID in US wastewater is: - 70% lower than at any point in four years (last October). - 85% lower than the lowest points in 2022-24. - 97 to 99% lower than surges the last five years.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

The latest data on #COVID19, released today, contains no surprises: COVID in wastewater is historically low and steady. www.cdc.gov/wastewater/r... Positive rate of testing is remaining low and steady. www.syndromictrends.com 1/2

cdc.gov

National Wastewater Data for Respiratory Viruses

View national wastewater viral activity data for Influenza A, COVID-19, and RSV.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

I made my first post in a while about #COVID19 risks in the US, which are near historic lows; that's partially why I posted. Moreover, seeing someone claim there were no studies on the vaccinated vs. unvaccinated, I wished to share a LONG list of those studies. medium.com/@augieray_66...

medium.com

Update on COVID-19’s Near-Record Lows in the US, Along With Research on COVID-19 Vaccinations

I haven’t provided an update on COVID-19 risks in the United States for a while. There hasn’t been a need. COVID-19 risks are not merely…

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Brought to you by the people who say they love the Constitution but can't be bothered to read the 45 words of the First Amendment.

@DHSgov on X.com"

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both
now and forever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18

May our nation continue to be guided by the light of
our Savior.

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Augie Ray @augieray.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Updated CDC data: Wastewater remains at the lowest level in years across all four US regions. (The Northwest had a small uptick in the last week or two, but recent data is preliminary.) Every state is at very low viral activity except WV and AK (at low). www.cdc.gov/wastewater/r... 1/2

cdc.gov

National Wastewater Data for Respiratory Viruses

View national wastewater viral activity data for Influenza A, COVID-19, and RSV.

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