When To Test

Reported COVID-19 New Hospital Admissions Rate

This page shows CDC data on COVID for the past week (scroll down to see the map).

The default setting tells you whether the number of people who have gone to the hospital with COVID in the last week is high, moderate, or low. If you hover over the map with your mouse, you can see data for each county. (Note: Hospitalizations don't start to go up until a surge has been going on for about two weeks.)

If you change the settings, you can see rates for deaths, people who went to the emergency room with COVID, or test positivity.

A recent screen capture from the CDC Data Tracker of their US data map showing COVID-19 hospital admissions levels by county.Map of US showing COVID-19 hospital admissions levels by county, captured from the CDC tracker weekly on Mondays.

COVID-19 Current Wastewater Viral Activity Map

This page shows CDC data on COVID-19 in wastewater.

Scroll down to see a map showing the COVID-19 level in wastewater in each state.

Note: When a surge happens, virus levels in wastewater go up first - before case counts or hospitalizations.

A recent screen capture of the CDC's US data map showing each state's COVID level in wastewater over the past week.Map of US showing each state's COVID level in wastewater, captured from CDC website weekly on Mondays. Each state is color-coded, showing the level of SARS-CoV-2 virus found in samples during the most recent reporting period.

COVID-19 Wastewater Monitoring by Region

Biobot Analytics is a company that tests wastewater from sewers across the country.

On this page, they show a line graph that tracks virus levels in wastewater over time (you have to scroll down to see the graph). The four lines in the graph each represent a different region of the US.

A recent screen capture of Biobotics Analytics' line graph showing COVID levels in wastewater in each of the four US regions over time.Biobot Analytics COVID-19 dashboard page for the past week, updated on Mondays. The line graph of COVID levels in wastewater in each of the four US regions over time.

State and Local COVID-19 Wastewater Dashboards

Roughly half of US states have their own dashboards that track COVID wastewater data. A few local and regional public health offices do, too.

Once you get to the site, scroll down a bit to find the list of links.

COVID-19 Data Dispatch logoThe COVID-19 Data Dispatch was a weekly newsletter by Betsy Ladyzhets, covering COVID data in the US.

Inside Medicine COVID-19 Metrics Dashboard

Line graphs showing levels of all things COVID:

  • Number of people in the hospital

  • Number of people in the ICU

  • Number of people sent to the hospital

  • Deaths

  • Wastewater levels

  • Testing levels

When you get to the page, it shows you the data for the entire United States. Using the menu, you can see data by state or by county.

All the data comes from the CDC and the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Recent screen capture of the Inside Medicine COVID-19 Metrics Dashboard. Multiple line graphs provide data on the number of people in the hospital, in the ICU, recently hospitalized, deaths, wastewater levels, and testing levels.Front page of Inside Medicine COVID-19 Metrics Dashboard, showing line graphs as noted in site description. Updated weekly on Mondays.

FluView

The map on this page is based on how many people see their health care providers because they have a fever plus a cough and/or a sore throat. That group of symptoms is called "influenza-like illness," or ILI.

The colors on the map tell you how much influenza-like illness has been reported in each state over the past week.

Note: The levels shown on the map are based on symptoms only, not on test results.

Recent screen capture from the CDC FluView US data map showing influenza-like illness (ILI) activity by state.US map showing influenza-like illness (ILI) activity by state, captured from CDC FluView. Updated weekly on Mondays.

The WastewaterSCAN Dashboard

On this page, you can look at wastewater data for lots of different viruses, including COVID-19, flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and more.

The dashboard page of WastewaterSCAN, as downloaded on August 4, 2023. Shows a map of the US with wastewater sampling locations identified.The dashboard page of WastewaterSCAN shows a map of the US with wastewater sampling locations identified.