National Wastewater Data for Respiratory Viruses

Influenza A, COVID-19, and RSV

At a glance

  • Wastewater monitoring helps us understand the risk of influenza A (one subtype of influenza viruses that cause flu illness), SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) at a community level.
  • CDC updates this data every Friday with the previous week's data. This allows for data to be reviewed for accuracy.
  • Data may change as more reports are received.

Data snapshot

Notice

To improve user experience and consistency across CDC webpages, the colors displayed on the maps have been updated. Please review the map legend for the colors and their associated meaning.

View national data by virus

Select a tab below to view the most recent data for the selected virus.

What respiratory virus data can tell us

Wastewater monitoring can detect viruses spreading from one person to another within a community earlier than clinical testing and before people who are sick go to their doctor or hospital. It can also detect infections without symptoms.

Resource

If you see increased wastewater viral activity levels (WVALs), it might mean there is a higher risk of infection.
See how to protect yourself from respiratory viruses

About the data

Data sources

Learn more about data sources and citation requirements.

Wastewater viral activity level

The wastewater viral activity level indicates whether the amount of virus in the wastewater is very low, low, moderate, high, or very high. The wastewater viral activity levels may indicate the risk of infection in an area.

Wastewater viral activity level categories

Regional Tourism Highlights and Health Risks in Mexico - Table 11.2.3.1
Very Low Low Moderate High Very High
Influenza A Up to 2.7 Greater than 2.7 and up to 6.2 Greater than 6.2 and up to 11.2 Greater than 11.2 and up to 17.6 Greater than 17.6
COVID-19 Up to 2 Greater than 2 and up to 3.4 Greater than 3.4 and up to 5.3 Greater than 5.3 and up to 7.8 Greater than 7.8
RSV Up to 2.5 Greater than 2.5 and up to 5.2 Greater than 5.2 and up to 8 Greater than 8 and up to 11 Greater than 11

How we get the data

Learn more about how the wastewater viral activity level is calculated on the Wastewater Monitoring Data Methodology page.

Limited/No data

States or territories without sufficient data to estimate the wastewater viral activity level for the previous week are indicated as "Limited/No Data." A label of "Limited/No Data" means that either:

  • No data were reported this week from sites within the state or territory
  • Data were reported this week, but sites within the state or territory do not have enough data to estimate the wastewater viral activity level in the last week.

Limited coverage

States or territories with limited coverage means that data for the most recent week are based on a small part (less than 5%) of the population and may not represent viral activity levels for the entire state or territory.

Regions

States and territories are grouped into the following U.S Census Bureau regions:

  • West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming (N=14)
  • Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin (N=12)
  • Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont (N=10)
  • South: Arkansas, Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia (N=17)

National, regional, and state/territory data represent the median values across all wastewater treatment plants in the respective area.

Additional wastewater data

CDC provides additional data for download or API connection (search "wastewater").
data.cdc.gov
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Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)