Respiratory Illness Dashboard

Welcome to Fairfax County Health Department’s Respiratory Illness Dashboard. This dashboard displays trends in respiratory illnesses in the Fairfax Health District, including COVID-19, flu (influenza), and RSV. We use data from emergency departments (ED) and urgent care (UC) centers to track how many people are visiting these providers for respiratory illnesses. These data help us see how respiratory illnesses are affecting our community over time. 

 

Disclosure: Data are subject to change and will be updated weekly on Tuesdays. Data show emergency department and urgent care visits from Sunday through Saturday for each week. Weekly updates will show data through the previous Saturday. 

Most years have 52 reporting weeks, but the 2025-26 season includes an extra week. To keep seasonal trends comparable across seasons, the extra week is not displayed in the seasonal overview chart. Data from the additional week are included in the disease-specific charts.

About the Data

Data shown on the dashboard are the percent of all reported ED and UC visits by week for the diseases below. Select a tab at the top of the dashboard to view your disease of interest. This will also show you the percentage of visits for that disease by specific age groups. 

  • All acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) 
  • COVID-19 
  • Flu 
  • RSV 

You will also find outbreak data included in the dashboard. The health department responds to respiratory outbreaks that occur in a variety of different settings including child care, K-12 schools, long-term care facilities, and other settings including workplaces or other locations in the community.   

Respiratory Activity Level  

The dashboard includes an overall respiratory illness activity level that ranges from minimal to extremely high. This level is provided by the Virginia Department of Health for the Northern Virginia region and is based on the disease level for all acute respiratory illnesses (ARI), including COVID-19, flu, RSV, and other respiratory illnesses.

Actions You Can Take Based on Current Activity Level

  • Get vaccinated against respiratory illnesses. Talk with your health care provider for details. 
  • Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing.  
  • Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow. 
  • Stay home if you are sick with respiratory illness to prevent spreading it to others. Return to normal activity when your symptoms have improved, and you are fever free for 24 hours. 

  • Consider wearing a well-fitted mask when around others indoors. 
  • Keep a distance from others when possible. 
  • Improve air quality by bringing in fresh air from outside (opening doors or windows or using exhaust fans), purifying air indoors, or gathering outdoors. 

Dashboard Terminology

  • Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI): ARI usually includes the presence of two or more signs or symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose or congestion, or sore throat and can be caused by various viral and bacterial germs. ARI data include people who were diagnosed with a specific infection (e.g., COVID-19, flu, and RSV), and those with respiratory conditions, like cough or pneumonia. 
  • COVID-19, influenza, and RSV: Data for these conditions include people who were diagnosed with the disease by a healthcare provider or who had a positive laboratory test for that specific condition. 

 

Protect Against Respiratory Illness

Practicing healthy habits can help you reduce the chances of getting and spreading respiratory viruses like flu, RSV, and COVID-19. 

See prevention strategies

Flyers, graphics, videos and other resources

Help spread the message about respiratory illness. Share these resources with your friends, family, school, or health clinic.

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