COVID-19 appears to be on the rise in some parts of California as a new, highly contagious subvariant — featuring 'razor blade throat' symptoms overseas — is becoming increasingly dominant.

The scientist, Dr. Fiona Havers, told colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday that she no longer had confidence that the COVID and RSV data would be used "objectively or evaluated with appropriate scientific rigor to make evidence-based vaccine policy decisions," according to an email seen by Reuters.