COVID-19 infections are increasing in these Regions. Here are the symptoms to watch for
COVID-19 activity has been ticking up nationally as public health agencies continue tracking test positivity, emergency visits, and wastewater trends. The latest increase is showing up most clearly in several U.S. regions, where federal surveillance dashboards show higher virus activity than earlier in the season. Health officials say the symptoms being reported remain largely consistent with recent variants, even as the level of spread differs by region.
Cases are increasing in several U.S. regions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said recent surveillance shows COVID-19 activity increasing in multiple U.S. regions, based on wastewater monitoring and other indicators. Federal data updated in August 2026 showed higher levels in parts of the South, West, and Midwest compared with earlier weeks. The CDC uses wastewater samples from hundreds of sites to estimate community spread, even when fewer people take lab-based tests.
The rise does not mean every state is seeing the same pattern. Some areas remain at lower activity levels, while others have moved into higher categories on federal dashboards. Public health tracking shows regional variation, and the CDC has not said that every county within the affected regions is experiencing the same level of increase.
What is confirmed locally, and what is still unclear
What is confirmed is that regional indicators are moving up, not that every city is facing a surge at the same pace. The CDC’s national maps group states into broad regions, which means local conditions can look different from one metro area to the next. State and county health departments may report different snapshots depending on testing volume, hospital data, and reporting schedules.
What remains less clear is the exact scale of infections in places where at-home tests are common and not routinely reported to health agencies. That means official case counts can understate current spread. Health officials have instead leaned more heavily on wastewater data, emergency department trends, and percent positivity to measure where COVID-19 is gaining ground.
The symptoms officials say people are reporting most often
Health agencies say the symptoms to watch for are still familiar ones, including fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, fatigue, headache, and body aches. Some people also report chills or shortness of breath, and loss of taste or smell can still happen, though it is less commonly emphasized than earlier in the pandemic. The CDC has continued to list symptom severity as ranging from mild illness to more serious respiratory trouble.
For residents, the practical takeaway is that a rise in regional activity means exposure risk can increase even before local case counts jump. People may notice symptoms that look similar to a cold, the flu, or other respiratory viruses, especially during periods of broader community spread. Federal health guidance has continued to frame wastewater and hospital trends as key early signals as COVID-19 patterns shift through the year.
