Overview

• The CDC reports California’s wastewater virus levels are high, with infections growing or likely growing in about 30 states and the West recording the highest activity.
• Statewide test positivity reached 12.07% for the week ending Aug. 23 after doubling from late July, and hospital admissions rose to 3.62 per 100,000 residents, though overall severity remains low.
• Yolo County called for universal indoor masking in West Sacramento due to high wastewater readings and advised higher‑risk residents to mask elsewhere in the county, with San Francisco officials offering similar guidance for crowded indoor spaces.
• Wastewater data show elevated SARS‑CoV‑2 in Sacramento and West Sacramento as well as San José and Palo Alto, and emergency‑department visits for COVID‑like illness are rising in Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara counties.
• Pharmacies expect to offer the updated 2025–26 COVID vaccine within days, but a new requirement for many adults under 65 to consult a healthcare provider first has raised access concerns, including criticism from former Surgeon General Jerome Adams.