They’ve been insisting they’re twins since they were in preschool. Nearly a decade later, the pair is still proving sisterhood goes beyond genetics. @SteveHartmanCBS is On the Road in Miami.
Toddlers are experts at something many adults have forgotten: play.
They dance for no reason. Dress up. Turn sidewalks into adventures. Laugh at nonsense. They aren’t trying to be productive, they’re simply engaged in the moment.
A recent study highlighted that adults who engage in playful activities experience lower stress, more positive emotions, greater resilience, and higher life satisfaction.
Importantly, researchers noted that it’s not the activity itself that matters most, it’s the mindset: curiosity, openness, and doing something simply for enjoyment.
Somewhere along the way, many of us started believing everything needs a purpose to be worthwhile.
Toddlers remind us otherwise.
Social Media Only: Here is a new sneak peek of the PMC COVlD Hot Spot Map.
Do you think a version of our Hot Spot Map would be
helpful to people seeking to avoid COVID?
⚡️🧵QUICK THREAD: 1 of 3
April 24th Update:
We are at the lowest transmission levels in almost 5 years, 40% lower than our recent spring lows. This remarkable lull should last 6+more weeks.
Estimates:
🔸90,000 new infections/day
🔸~1 in 750 currently reasonably infectious (5 day window)
COVlD: Week of Apr 20, 2026 (PMC, US)
Levels are at their lowest in nearly 3 years, but unfortunately with a high baseline of >200,000 estimated new daily infections.
Very High = WV (1 site only)
Moderate = MS (limited data) & Guam
All others low/very low
🧵THREAD 1/7
PMC COVlD Update, Apr 13, 2026
Levels are flat during a relative "lull" in transmission.
▪️1 in 187 estimated actively infectious
▪️260,000 estimated new daily infections
▪️High: OK, MS, WV
▪️Moderate: VT
▪️All other states low/very low in relative transmission
🧵THREAD 1/6
PMC COVlD Update, April 6, 2026
Transmission is stable in a relative "lull" nationally between waves.
We estimate that approximately 313,000 people are still getting infected per day, with outbreaks radiating from TN and MS.
🧵1 of 10 (don't miss #10)!
They have seen first-hand how devastating diseases like measles can be
Now they are determined to let the rest of America know — before it’s too late
Meet the Grandparents for Vaccines https://t.co/053VUdoRzv
As of today, 30 states, including DC, have announced that they are no longer going to follow CDC's recommendations for some or all childhood vaccines.
https://t.co/rG668C0u1B
PMC COVlD Update, Week of Mar 9, 2026 (U.S.)
This week we will likely see the 100th consecutive day above 500,000 estimated new daily infections.
However, the 12th wave is winding down. CDC levels are Moderate in 18 states, High in 7, and Very High in 0.
🧵THREAD 1 of 4
You are clinging to a statistic you don’t understand.
The “6% died of COVID only” line comes from a CDC table listing death certificates that had no additional conditions recorded. That doesn’t mean the other 94% “didn’t die of COVID.” It means COVID caused pneumonia, ARDS, clotting, stroke, or heart failure — which is what viral infections do.
When HIV patients died of pneumocystis pneumonia, we did not say, “Ah, they didn’t die of HIV.”
We understood cause and consequence.
Over 1.3 million excess deaths occurred in the United States during the pandemic period. That is not a rounding error. That is not “just flu.” That is a historic mortality event confirmed by excess death curves — which do not care about hospital coding, politics, or your favorite podcast.
As for the claim that doctors diagnosed COVID for money — that requires believing that thousands of physicians, hospitals, coders, auditors, and insurers across every political jurisdiction engaged in coordinated fraud without evidence. That is conspiracy thinking dressed up as fiscal concern.
And yes, early treatment evolved. That’s called science confronting a novel pathogen. If your standard is “medicine must be omniscient on day one,” then you are not arguing medicine — you are arguing for clairvoyance.
The hospitals were full.
The ICUs were full.
Temporary morgues were deployed.
Excess mortality surged in waves that matched viral spread across continents.
You may dislike public health decisions.
You may resent mandates.
But denying the scale of mortality requires denying measurable reality.
And measurable reality does not bend to ideology.
Nationally, 1 in 71 people are estimated actively infectious, with substantial regional variability. In 10 states, we estimate it's 1 in 30 infectious or worse.
Notice in the wave graph how transmission is lingering.
THREAD 2 of 6 🧵
Since 1974, vaccination has averted 154 million deaths globally, according to a study published in the Lancet. Measles vaccination alone accounts for 94 million of them, more than any other vaccine.
The measles vaccine is 97% effective with two doses, protection is lifelong, and decades of data confirm its safety. It prevents not just the acute infection but the immune amnesia that leaves children vulnerable to other diseases for years afterward.
We didn't eliminate measles from the U.S. in 2000 because it was "no big deal." We eliminated it because it was killing and disabling children, and we had the tools to stop it. And we still do.
https://t.co/VZMeReYsSc
5/
Denmark doesn’t vaccinate kids against RSV, rotavirus, chickenpox, hepatitis B at birth, hepatitis A, flu, or meningococcal disease.
The US does — for good reason.
My new piece in @statnews on why their schedule won’t work here.
https://t.co/ojWkVxQhjC
HHS reportedly wants to adopt Denmark's vaccine schedule. The comparison is misguided. The consequences for American children would be severe. https://t.co/H6aXHDjTo0