Respiratory Virus Emergency Department Surveillance Data from 100 U.S. Hospitals

RESP-LENS collected electronic health record data on emergency department visits for acute respiratory illness from nearly 100 hospitals across 20 states and Washington D.C. during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 respiratory seasons. The system, operated by the CDC, reported data for an average of 77,000 weekly ED visits, with 11,000 visits associated with ARI. These data were posted to a public dashboard between May 2023 and August 2024.

Use Cases

• Analyze weekly trends in Percent Positive for SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV by Region and Age Group.
• Compare the Number Positive for each Virus across different HHS regions to identify geographic hotspots.
• Model the relationship between Week, Season, and Number Tested to forecast testing demand.
• Assess disease burden in children by filtering Age Group for records pertaining to patients younger than 18 years.

Strengths

• Data sourced from nearly 100 hospitals, providing a broad clinical perspective.
• Includes weekly counts for three major respiratory viruses (SARS-CoV-2, influenza, RSV).
• Covers 20 states and Washington D.C., with representation in all 10 HHS regions.

Limitations

• Data collection was discontinued after the 2024 fiscal year due to budget constraints.
• Sample size specifics (total rows) for the aggregated dataset are not provided.
• Limited to emergency department visits, excluding other healthcare settings.

Provenance

Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) via data.cdc.gov.

Collection Method

Aggregated from electronic health record data reported by 24 participating sites across a hospital network.

Time Range

2022-23 and 2023-24 respiratory illness seasons, with dashboard data from May 2023 to August 2024.

Freshness

Data covers up to August 2024; last metadata update was May 2025.

Geography

United States (20 states and the District of Columbia).