Respiratory Virus Data

The respiratory virus data tool consists of surveillance dashboards and summary reports.

Respiratory virus data are updated weekly on Thursdays.

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Key trends

February 26, 2026

Respiratory virus activity in BC

Reporting period:  February 15-21, 2026 (Epi-week 7) - O​pen t​​he ​week​l​y summary as a PDF​

Current respiratory activity is measured in consideration of recent past respiratory seasons.​

RSV activity remains elevated; influenza is moderate; COVID-19 is low.

Influenza

  • Influenza A test positivity is stable at low levels after decreasing in recent weeks. Influenza B test positivity has increased in recent weeks but remains low. Wastewater levels are low for influenza A across all regions. Influenza B levels in wastewater are increasing in some sites.

RSV 

  • RSV test positivity remains elevated. Wastewater levels are stable at varying levels across the province.

COVID-19

  • SARS-CoV-2 test positivity remains stable and low. Wastewater levels are low-to-moderate. Severe outcomes remain low.

Health care visits

  • The proportions of emergency department and primary care visits for respiratory illness remain at moderate levels. 

National and international context

Influenza

  • In Canada, indicators of influenza activity have stabilized. Influenza A detections remain predominant but are decreasing while detections of influenza B increase; trends vary by region. This increase in influenza B activity is expected as influenza B often circulates later in the influenza season.  
  • In the USA, seasonal influenza activity remains elevated. Influenza A activity is decreasing while influenza B activity is increasing nationally and in most areas of the country; however, trends vary by region. 
  • In the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), influenza circulation remains elevated but has been declining in recent weeks. Hospitalisations have decreased since the beginning of the year, with adults aged 65 years and above accounting for most of the admissions during the season. ​

RSV

  • In Canada, indicators of RSV activity were stable or decreasing in the most recent reporting week. RSV activity is occurring later than in recent seasons; although levels are currently elevated, they remain below the peaks observed in some recent seasons.
  • In the USA, RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the country, including emergency department visits among infants and children 4 years and younger. Hospitalisations are highest among infants less than 1 year old.
  • In the EU/EEA, RSV circulation remains elevated and varies from country to country. Children under five years account for most of the admissions cumulatively this season.​

COVID-19

  • In Canada, indicators of COVID-19 activity were stable in the most recent reporting week.  
  • In the USA, COVID-19 activity is decreasing nationally but remains elevated in some areas of the country. 
  • In the EU/EEA, SARS-CoV-2 circulation remains low in all age groups, and the number of hospitalisations due to SARS-CoV-2 is currently limited compared with influenza and RSV. ​

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Dashboards

The respiratory virus dashboards display data for circulating viruses including influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), enteroviruses/rhinoviruses, and others.
Reports

2025/26 Respiratory Epidemiological Summaries and Special Reports

​Respiratory virus activity summary

Past season: 2024/25 Epidemiological Summaries and Special Reports
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​Respiratory virus activity in BC: Weekly Summary

Past season: 2023/24 Epidemiological Summaries and Special Reports

​COVID-19 Situation Report

  • COVID-19 Situation Report Archive - This report is an archive of the data previously included in the COVID-19 Situation Report dashboard, from January 1, 2020, to August 31, 2024.

Respiratory Epidemiological Summaries

Respiratory season surveillance reports summarize key insights for circulating viruses including influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), enteroviruses/rhinoviruses (ERV), and others.​​

Special Reports

Historical reports
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  • ​​2022/23 Respiratory Season Surveillance Report
    • ​The respiratory season report summarizes key insights from 28 August 2022 through to 22 April 2023. Following two years of relatively low non-COVID-19 respiratory illness activity in 2020/21 and 2021/22, the 2022/23 season is characterized by the return to seasonal respiratory virus co-circulation patterns, albeit with some atypical features.
  • Archived B.C. COVID-1​9 Data​

Technical Documents & Resources

​About the Respiratory Diseases data platform

The Respiratory Diseases data platform combines surveillance for COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory pathogens in one platform to monitor trends throughout the respiratory season. The platform is made up of a series of interactive online data pages.

The last respiratory data update of the season was published on May 4, 2023. Updates on influenza and other respiratory pathogens will resume in the fall.

COVID-19 updates will continue monthly throughout the spring and summer.

Changes to COVID-19 data system: May 4, 2023

The British Columbia (BC) COVID-19 surveillance system was updated on May 4, 2023 to use infection episodes of COVID-19 to capture multiple COVID-19 infections in the same person. The update to the system will also capture all hospital and critical care admissions and deaths in a person with a positive lab test. This is a shift from using a system of using first positive lab result for surveillance.

For detailed information about the update to the surveillance system and impact of the changes, read the technical document: BC COVID-19 Surveillance System Update: Infection episode-based approach​

National data 

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