What to know
- As of February 20, 2026, the amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek health care is moderate.
- Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally. Influenza A activity is decreasing while influenza B activity is increasing nationally and in most areas of the country; however, trends vary by region.
- RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the country, including emergency department visits among infants and children 4 years and younger. Hospitalizations are highest among infants less than 1 year old.
- COVID-19 activity is decreasing nationally but remains elevated in some areas of the country.

Season Outlook
CDC continues to expect that the fall and winter respiratory disease season in the United States will likely have a similar number of combined peak hospitalizations due to COVID-19, influenza, and RSV compared to last season. Read more: 2025-2026 Respiratory Disease Season Outlook - December Update | CDC
Protect yourself and your community
- Explore resources and recommendations for older adults - Stay informed and protected
- Review tailored health recommendations for high-risk individuals
- Feeling ill? Take immediate steps to protect yourself and others – Start here
- Have symptoms? Consider wearing a mask
- Take action against germs – Practice good hygiene
Continue exploring these data
Explore related data
Anticipated trends for COVID-19 infections, based on modeling, are displayed at the national and state levels.
Wastewater (sewage) data specific to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are displayed at the national, regional, and state levels. These data can provide an early signal of changes in infection levels.
COVID-19 variants and genomic surveillance data are displayed for the nation.
Nursing home data on vaccinations, cases, and hospitalizations for COVID-19, flu, and RSV are displayed at the national and state levels.




