COVID-19 cases are climbing in the Americas and parts of the United States, while global numbers show a modest overall increase. In the most recent 28-day reporting period ending February 22, 2026, the WHO recorded 48,729 new cases worldwide, up from 46,504 in the prior period. The Americas drove that rise, jumping from 16,513 to 20,768 cases. Europe, the other major reporting region, dipped slightly from 29,991 to 27,961.
U.S. States With High Wastewater Levels
The CDC tracks SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater as a real-time proxy for how much virus is circulating in a community. As of February 28, 2026, seven states registered “high” viral activity: Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Nebraska. Wastewater surveillance tends to capture infections that never show up in official case counts, since many people test at home or skip testing entirely. If you live in one of these states, transmission is elevated enough to warrant extra caution, especially around vulnerable family members.
Mississippi’s reading comes with a caveat: its wastewater data covers less than 5% of the state’s population, so the number may not reflect what’s happening statewide. The other six states have broader sampling coverage, making their “high” classifications more reliable.
The Americas Are the Hot Spot
Globally, the Americas saw the sharpest increase in new cases over the latest reporting period, rising roughly 26% from one 28-day window to the next. Seven countries across the Americas and Europe accounted for increases of more than 10%. Deaths, however, moved in the opposite direction. The Americas reported 1,349 deaths in the latest period, down from 1,886 previously. Europe’s deaths also fell, from 235 to 191.
That split between rising cases and falling deaths is a pattern that has held for much of the post-Omicron era. Higher population immunity from prior infections and vaccination means more people get sick but fewer develop severe illness. Still, the absolute number of deaths remains significant, particularly in the Americas.
Which Variants Are Circulating
The XFG family of variants now dominates in the United States. For the two weeks ending February 14, 2026, the parent XFG lineage made up about 29% of sequenced cases. Its sublineages added substantially more: XFG.2.5.1 accounted for 16%, XFG.1.1 for 9%, XFG.14.1 for 7%, and XFG.6 for 4%. Combined, XFG and its offshoots represent roughly two-thirds of circulating virus.
Another lineage, NB.1.8.1, held about 21% of cases, though its confidence interval is wide, meaning its true share could be much higher or lower depending on geographic sampling. Smaller players include XFZ at 5% and PQ.17 at 4%. All of these descend from the broader Omicron branch, which continues to cause generally less severe illness than earlier variants like Delta, though it spreads more easily.
Symptoms and Severity
Current variants produce symptoms that look similar to what most people experienced with earlier Omicron waves: sore throat, congestion, fatigue, body aches, and sometimes fever or headache. Loss of taste and smell, once a hallmark of earlier strains, is less common. Most infections resolve within a week or two for otherwise healthy people.
Severe outcomes remain concentrated among older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and those with chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease. If you’re in a higher-risk group and live in a state with elevated wastewater levels, this is a practical time to make sure you have rapid tests on hand and a plan for getting antiviral treatment quickly if needed. Antivirals work best when started within the first few days of symptoms.
Vaccine Uptake Remains Low
One factor shaping the current landscape is how few people got the most recent updated vaccine. By late December 2024, only about 21% of U.S. adults had received the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine, the lowest uptake since COVID vaccines became available. That’s half the rate of flu vaccination (42%) during the same period. Low booster coverage means a larger share of the population has waning immunity, which can contribute to the kind of regional surges now showing up in wastewater data.
Updated vaccines are reformulated to better match circulating variants. While they don’t prevent every infection, they significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization and severe illness, particularly for people over 65. If you haven’t been vaccinated in over a year and you’re in an area with high viral activity, the current formulation still offers meaningful protection against the XFG-family variants driving most transmission.
How to Track Your Area
The CDC’s wastewater surveillance dashboard, updated weekly, remains the most useful tool for checking local conditions. It breaks data down by state and assigns a viral activity level ranging from “very low” to “very high.” You can find it at the CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System page. Because traditional case reporting has become less reliable (fewer people report home test results, and many states have scaled back public health infrastructure), wastewater data gives the most honest picture of what’s actually circulating in your community.
If your state shows moderate or high activity and you have upcoming travel, large gatherings, or contact with high-risk individuals, that’s worth factoring into your planning. High-quality masks (N95 or KN95), improved ventilation, and rapid testing before visiting vulnerable people remain the most effective tools beyond vaccination.