The Sick Times
LightNews LightNews
banner
thesicktimes.org
The Sick Times
@thesicktimes.org
29K followers 260 following 550 posts
A nonprofit news site chronicling the #LongCOVID crisis. Founded by journalists @BetsyLadyzhets.bsky.social & @MilesWGriffis.bsky.social

Website: thesicktimes.org
Newsletter: thesicktimes.org/newsletter
Donate: the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org
Posts Replies Media Videos
thesicktimes.org
Stay on top of COVID-19 trends and #LongCOVID research. Sign up for our newsletter to get our reporting delivered directly to your inbox every Tuesday! thesicktimes.org/newsletter/
Wastewater data from the CDC, WastewaterSCAN, and Biobot Analytics all report significant increases in SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater throughout December. Healthcare system data also report increases in COVID-19 spread across much of the U.S. Test positivity and emergency department visits have not yet gone up as dramatically as wastewater levels, but this will likely change in the coming weeks. chart showing healthcare visits for influenza-like illness, from a network of clinics that report to the agency, during winter flu seasons from 2020 to 2026. Influenza-like illness includes cases with a fever plus a cough or sore throat. The X axis represents week of the year, starting in October (week 40) and going through to the next September (week 39), and the Y axis represents % of patient visits for flu-like illness. Different flu seasons are represented with different colored lines, with the current 2025-26 season in bright red. Visits for flu-like illness have gone up dramatically in December 2025, reaching a higher point for the week ending December 27 than any other recorded in the prior five flu seasons. Flu is doing more damage to the healthcare system. National flu test positivity and emergency department visits were several times higher for flu than for COVID-19 for the week ending December 27. Among clinics reporting to a CDC surveillance network, 8.2% of patient visits that week were for “influenza-like illness,” (fever plus cough or sore throat) — a record high compared to the prior five winters. You might ask: are some of these flu cases really COVID-19 cases? Testing and emergency department data from the CDC are hard to dispute, since healthcare facilities often test for both viruses at the same time when someone presents with respiratory symptoms. But many people do not test to see which virus is making them sick, thanks to the broad dismantling of a public testing infrastructure that we had earlier in the pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 carries a higher risk of long-term symptoms than other pathogens, but flu has also caused myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) in the past; both viruses are good reasons to stay on guard. And similar precautions, like high-quality masks, work for both. Black text on a white graph paper background shows The Sick Times COVID-19 trends legend. WastewaterSCAN category for SARS-CoV-2: Lighter yellow = “Low” Darker yellow = “Medium” Orange = “High"; medium concentration and upward trend or high concentration and downward trend Red = “High"; high concentration and no trend or upward trend CDC wastewater viral activity level for SARS-CoV-2: Lighter yellow = “Very low” Darker yellow = “Low” Orange = “Moderate” Red = “High” or “Very high” CDC COVID-19 test positivity: Lighter yellow = Under 3% Darker yellow = 3% to 6% Orange = 6% to 10% Red = 10% or higher Week over week percent change Arrow directly down = -20% or less change Arrow diagonal down = -20% to -5% change Arrow in horizontal line = -5% to 5% change Arrow diagonal up = 5% to 20% change Arrow directly up = 20% or more change covid-19-trends-legend.png
January 6, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
brittashoot.com
personal note as humble @thesicktimes.org contributing writer who’s spent incalculable hours in early HIV archives: it's legit incredible how steadfastly TST documents this pandemic with real-time, clear-eyed, life-saving reporting. Critically important now & for the future! Simply nothing like it!
December 30, 2025 at 5:21 PM