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COVID, Flu, and Health News 2/22/26
Ruth Ann Crystal MD, Feb 22, 2026
"Hi all,
"Wastewater levels of SARS-CoV-2 are still high in the Midwest and Northeast. RSV is high everywhere, but especially in the Northeast. Flu A had a second smaller wave in the Northeast before decreasing, and Influenza B is now increasing in all U.S. regions.
"Per the CDC, “RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the country, including emergency department visits among infants and children 4 years and younger. Hospitalizations are highest among infants less than 1 year old.”
"The CDC reported on 2/20/26, “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally.” There has been an increase in positive lab tests for the flu this week in the United States.
"Influenza A which started off the flu season has peaked and declined, while Influenza B is increasing in many places. “Children younger than 18 years have the highest peak weekly hospitalization rate observed since the 2010-2011 season,” according to the CDC.
"Outpatient visits for Influenza-like Illness (ILI) through 2/14/26:
From: https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/index.html
"Per Mike Hoerger using CDC data through 2/14/26 and Biobot data, there are about 850,000 new daily COVID infections in America now, with 1 in every 58 people currently infectious with COVID. About 40% of people infected with COVID are asymptomatic and may not know that they are infectious to others.
"Researchers in France infected mice intranasally with SARS-CoV-2 and found significant gene expression changes in the trigeminal ganglion and brainstem in areas involved in facial pain and headache. These changes included inflammatory and nerve signaling pathways that may help explain why some people experience severe headaches or facial pain during COVID infection.
"In a 2-year study of 4,795 people, researchers compared smartwatch data with self-reported symptoms after COVID-19, Flu, and Group A strep. Wearables showed prolonged physiologic abnormalities, such as elevated heart rate and reduced activity, even after people said that they felt recovered. After moderate to severe COVID infection, heart rate took about 60 days to return to baseline. Wearable devices may detect delayed recovery that patients do not fully recognize.
"Spanish researchers studied 117 children and adolescents and found that pediatric Long COVID was marked by suppressed CCR6 expression on myeloid cells and broad immune dysregulation. T cells, B cells, and NK cells were overactive, while anti–RBD antibody levels and virus neutralization were reduced. The findings suggest persistent immune imbalance may underlie symptoms in affected children.
"Researchers in Rome reviewed 9 studies of 1,202 children and young adults and identified 41 measurable biomarkers linked to pediatric Long COVID. These markers ranged from inflammatory cytokines to clotting and vascular indicators. The findings support that persistent symptoms in children reflect measurable immune and vascular changes.
"In a U.S. RECOVER cohort of 139,320 children and young adults, higher pre-COVID BMI, especially severe obesity, was tied to increased heart and GI problems after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The data suggest metabolic health before infection may shape the risk of post-COVID sequelae in young people.
"Using RECOVER electronic health record data, University of Pennsylvania researchers looked at 465,717 children and adolescents during the Omicron era and found that SARS-CoV-2 reinfection doubled the risk of Long COVID. Reinfection raised the rates of heart, brain, and immune issues, even after mild illness in children. It is very important to protect children from repeat COVID infections.
"In the INTERCOVID consortium cohort, COVID vaccination during pregnancy was associated with reduced risk of preeclampsia. Full vaccination lowered risk by about 15%, and receiving a booster reduced risk by approximately 33%. Vaccination was safe and was also associated with lower odds of severe COVID infection, preterm birth, or death.
"Intramuscular vaccines generate strong systemic immunity, but provide limited protection at mucosal surfaces like the nose and mouth where respiratory viruses first enter. In a new review, Yale researchers propose that vaccines delivered nasally or orally could stimulate local IgA antibodies and tissue-resident T and B cells, creating stronger frontline protection. Targeting mucosal immunity may better prevent infection and transmission and reshape future respiratory vaccine design.
"Researchers in China found that using anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) during COVID vaccination of mice improved the breadth and strength of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 by promoting the development of early and robust germinal center responses.
"A study from Invivyd was done to better understand how neutralizing antibody levels from monoclonal antibody treatments relate to real-world protection against COVID. They created a statistical model and found that its predictions closely matched actual results from clinical trials. A 1 to 500 titer after Pemgarda (pemivibart) monoclonal antibody treatment predicted about 70% protection against COVID in non-immunocompromised people and 50% in immunocompromised people. COVID prevention rose with increasing neutralizing antibody titers, but plateaued at high levels.
"In London, researchers at King’s College London studied 40 people and found altered brain oxygen use in Long COVID. The hippocampus showed increased activity during memory tasks, possibly compensating for dysfunction, while the anterior cingulate cortex had reduced metabolism which was linked to depression and inflammation.
"A very large study from Canada of over 2 million people shows that COVID infection increases the risk of Type 2 Diabetes for up to 3 years, especially in people who were unvaccinated or who had severe COVID infection. People who were vaccinated did not have increased risk for diabetes after COVID.
"As of February 19, 2026, 982 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026, with 4% (38 of 982 cases) reported as requiring hospitalization, according to the CDC.
"As of Feb. 20, 2026, the South Carolina Department of Public Health reported 973 cases of measles in the state since their outbreak started in late 2025.
"Measles infections typically lead to serious complications and hospitalizations in about 20% of patients. But, South Carolina does not require hospitals to report when they admit patients with measles complications, so I anticipate that the actual number of measles hospitalizations this year is much higher. “It’s vast underreporting,” Dr. Paul Offit said. “Measles makes you sick.”
“Utah has confirmed 300 measles cases in an ongoing outbreak, with the virus now spreading in Salt Lake County and new exposures at high schools in that county.
From: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/ivac/resources/us-measles-tracker
"Jay Bhattacharya, director of the NIH, was also named acting director of the CDC on Wednesday (the agency’s fourth leader change in a year) in an unprecedented move that further concentrates power among a small group of men leading U.S. health agencies. Mallory Harris, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Maryland remarked, “It seems the one qualification for this job is rubber-stamping RFK Jr’s agenda. He [Bhattacharya] has already proven himself very capable of doing so.”
"A new report in Nature reveals that staff at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have been instructed to scrub the terms “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” from the NIAID’s web pages as part of a broader shift in focus, according to internal emails obtained by the journal. Experts warn this shift, which is part of a larger NIH restructuring and cuts to the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, could weaken the United States’ capacity to anticipate and respond to emerging infectious threats.
"After leaving the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) now “proposes spending $2 billion a year to re-create systems the U.S. accessed through the WHO [previously] at a fraction of the cost [$680 million].” Only sovereign nations can formally join the WHO, but California, Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin, along with New York City, have joined in the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.
"Under Vinay Prasad, the FDA refused to review the Moderna mRNA flu vaccine last week, contrary to evidence showing that it is safe and is more effective than current flu vaccines. Now, the FDA has flip-flopped saying that they will review the mRNA flu vaccine.
"Last week, the Trump administration terminated $600 million in CDC grants for HIV and STI prevention and surveillance in California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota “because they do not reflect agency priorities.” The four Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit and this week a federal judge has temporarily halted any funding changes while the legal challenges proceed.
"More government health news can be found in this weekly update from CIDRAP & Unbiased Science.
"Good news! The same mRNA platform used for COVID vaccines is now being used to fight breast cancer. A personalized mRNA vaccine was tested in 14 people with an aggressive, hard-to-treat form of breast cancer called triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The vaccine trained the immune system to recognize each patient’s unique tumor mutations and produced strong, lasting immune responses. Ten of the 14 participants remained cancer-free at 5 years, and studying the relapses helped researchers identify resistance mechanisms that may help guide future treatments.
"Imagine knowing decades in advance when Alzheimer’s symptoms are likely to begin. A new study shows that you can predict when in the future someone will get dementia symptoms from Alzheimer’s disease using a single blood test (%p-tau217) and their age. The calculation can be made 20 years in advance if tested at age 60.
"Researchers at the University of California San Francisco followed 985 adults with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) treated with ublituximab for five years. Relapse rates fell to about 1 per 50 patient years, and 92% of patients remained free from confirmed disability progression.
"A bird in Germany checked himself into the Emergency Department to get a hook that was stuck in his beak removed. He pecked at the glass entryway until someone came out to evaluate him. Firefighters worked with the medical staff to remove the hook successfully.
"Oakland’s 130-year-old Fenton’s Creamery (est. 1894) is celebrating Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu in the sweetest way- free ice cream for life! I fondly remember riding my bike over to Fenton’s as a college student at Berkeley.
"Have a great week,
"Ruth Ann Crystal MD"
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