California braces for a summer COVID surge as vaccines adapt

California health officials say COVID-19 activity is rising again this summer, with a larger peak than last winter and increasing wastewater signals and hospitalizations. Experts attribute shifts to immunity and potential new subvariants; the state is urging eligible residents to get the 2025-26 vaccine now, though Kaiser may not offer that version and a 2026-27 vaccine is expected by late September. Vaccination remains the best protection against severe illness, especially for older adults and the immunocompromised, while the disease has not vanished and long COVID remains a risk.