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One current respiratory check

What respiratory illnesses are going around right now?

Flu-like illness, RSV, and COVID-19 are all tracked below for the latest national source week. Start with direction and activity level, then open the metric note before comparing anything.

Latest source week: week ending Sep 26, 2026

15-second answer

Current U.S. respiratory signals

Updated from checked-in source data Oct 3, 2026

Flu-like illness

1.7%

Low

→ Stable — relatively steady across the latest three weekly reports

A symptom-based outpatient signal. ILI can include flu, COVID-19, RSV, or other respiratory illnesses.

Source week
Sep 26, 2026
Metric
Outpatient visits for influenza-like illness
Open the state-by-state flu tracker →
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RSV hospital admissions

0.1 per 100K

Low

→ Stable — relatively steady across the latest three weekly reports

A hospital-burden signal. It does not count every RSV infection in the community.

Source week
Sep 26, 2026
Metric
New RSV-confirmed hospital admissions

COVID-19 hospital admissions

1.3 per 100K

Moderate

→ Stable — relatively steady across the latest three weekly reports

A hospital-burden signal. It does not estimate every COVID-19 infection in the community.

Source week
Sep 26, 2026
Metric
New COVID-19-confirmed hospital admissions

Do not compare unlike numbers

Three signals, two different kinds of measurement

The flu card uses outpatient visits for influenza-like illness. The RSV and COVID-19 cards use hospital admissions per 100,000 people. A higher raw flu percentage does not mean flu is “more common” than the other viruses. Compare each series with its own recent history, and use the source date and scope before sharing a conclusion.

Why health sources can disagree →

Make it local

Now check your state or city

National signals are orientation, not a local answer. Search a real place to open its overview or switch directly to flu, RSV, or COVID-19.

Verify and reuse

Download the source-labeled data

The files include the full checked-in national time series for each signal, plus metric, unit, activity label, official source name, and official source URL. They update with the site’s weekly data refresh.

CDC Use of Agency Materials:CDC public-domain data may be reused under the agency's terms, with source attribution. Third-party materials can have separate restrictions. Original CDC data are available free of charge; their use here does not imply CDC or U.S. government endorsement.Local Health Signal adds activity labels and summaries; these are not CDC classifications.

Recent direction

Latest eight reported weeks

Each column keeps its own unit. Use this table for within-signal direction, not cross-metric magnitude.

Flu-like illness

percent of outpatient visits

Week endingValue
Sep 26, 20261.7%
Sep 19, 20261.6%
Sep 12, 20261.6%
Sep 5, 20261.5%
Aug 29, 20261.4%
Aug 22, 20261.1%
Aug 15, 20261.0%
Aug 8, 20260.9%

RSV hospital admissions

admissions per 100,000 people

Week endingValue
Sep 26, 20260.1 per 100K
Sep 19, 20260.1 per 100K
Sep 12, 20260.1 per 100K
Sep 5, 20260.1 per 100K
Aug 29, 20260.1 per 100K
Aug 22, 20260.1 per 100K
Aug 15, 20260.1 per 100K
Aug 8, 20260.1 per 100K

COVID-19 hospital admissions

admissions per 100,000 people

Week endingValue
Sep 26, 20261.3 per 100K
Sep 19, 20261.3 per 100K
Sep 12, 20261.3 per 100K
Sep 5, 20261.2 per 100K
Aug 29, 20261.1 per 100K
Aug 22, 20260.8 per 100K
Aug 15, 20260.7 per 100K
Aug 8, 20260.6 per 100K

Read the scope before the number

Respiratory signal questions

What respiratory illnesses are going around right now?

The latest national source week ends Sep 26, 2026. Flu-like illness, RSV hospital admissions, and COVID-19 hospital admissions are all shown above with their current activity label and direction. These signals describe different parts of respiratory illness, so use a state or city page for the local picture.

Can I compare the three numbers directly?

No. Flu is the percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness, while RSV and COVID-19 are new hospital admissions per 100,000 people. Compare each signal with its own recent trend and activity label, not with the raw magnitude of another metric.

Does low activity mean nobody is sick?

No. Low is a surveillance activity label, not zero illness. These weekly systems also have reporting lag and do not count every infection, so they are best for orientation and trend checks rather than diagnosis or clinical decisions.

Where can I download the respiratory data?

Use the CSV download for a spreadsheet-friendly time series or the JSON download for a structured file. Each row keeps the metric, unit, source name, source URL, and source week attached.

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Local Health Signal is not affiliated with the CDC or any government agency. Data is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended for clinical decision making. See our methods page for details on data sources and limitations.