Respiratory Illness Data
Weekly Surveillance Summary
updated:
2/14/2025
Key Points
- Overall acute respiratory illness activity level decreased from High to Medium across Chicago. Flu activity remains High although all influenza surveillance indicators decreased slightly from last week. COVID-19 activity remains Low but has increased slightly from the previous week. RSV activity remains Low and continues to decline across all surveillance indicators.
- ED visits and ICU admissions for flu remain elevated among all age groups, especially among those <18 years of age. ED visits, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions for RSV continue to decrease and are past peak for the season. COVID-19 ED visits and ICU admissions have decreased.
- The percentage of specimens that tested positive for flu remains high (20.4%). Almost all (97.3%) typed flu specimens for the week are flu A; among those subtyped 63% have been H1N1 and 37% H3N2. The percentage of specimens testing positive for flu B remains low but has increased for the past three weeks. Test positivity for RSV has been decreasing since mid-December and continues to decrease. Test positivity for COVID-19 has increased slightly from the previous week but remains low.
- A second pediatric RSV-related death in Chicago of the 2024-25 season was reported during the previous week.
- Wastewater concentrations for flu A and RSV remain high compared to baseline and COVID-19 remains moderate compared to baseline concentrations.
- Flu and COVID-19 vaccine coverage across the city remain low. See CDPH’s Mid-Season Seasonal Respiratory Vaccine Coverage Report for more details.
- For information on the national bird flu outbreak, see the CDPH H5N1 Bird Flu webpage and the CDPH HAN: Flu Page for clinicians.

Respiratory Illness Dashboard

The Respiratory Illness Dashboard below summarizes information about respiratory virus disease activity in Chicago, with a focus on COVID-19 (caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus), influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The dashboard will be updated every Friday at 1 p.m.
Additional Respiratory Illness Data
National and State Respiratory Illness Data



