CDC Warns of Huge COVID Spike Amid Internal Turmoil

The CDC reports a nationwide rise in COVID-19 activity as the Labor Day holiday approached, with test positivity rates nearing 10% and several states exceeding 15%. While deaths and hospitalizations remain stable, officials attribute the uptick to new variants, waning immunity, and seasonal gatherings. The agency noted that emergency department visits for COVID-19 are increasing across all age groups.

This public health development comes amid leadership changes and internal unrest at the CDC following new federal vaccine recommendations. Public health communicators may want to monitor both the trajectory of the Stratus variant and ongoing updates to vaccine guidance. Read more from Axios here.