Pennsylvania Wastewater Viral Activity Levels for Influenza, RSV, and COVID-19

Pennsylvania wastewater viral activity levels (WVALs) for influenza A, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 are calculated from concentrations measured at participating municipal treatment plants. The dataset is maintained by data.pa.gov and updated weekly on Mondays. It includes current and historical WVAL numbers and categories by county and municipality.

Use Cases

• Model the relationship between WVAL Number and Week Ending On Date to forecast regional outbreak peaks for each Pathogen Target.
• Compare WVAL Category trends across different County Names to identify geographic disparities in viral spread.
• Correlate WVAL Number for SARS-CoV-2 with other public health metrics using County Name as a join key.
• Analyze seasonal patterns by grouping data by Pathogen Target and Week Ending On Date.
• Assess surveillance coverage by identifying participating Municipality Names over time.

Strengths

• Data is updated weekly, providing near-real-time surveillance.
• Covers three major respiratory pathogens (Influenza A, RSV, SARS-CoV-2) concurrently.
• Includes geographic granularity with County Name and Municipality Name columns.

Limitations

• Sample size and row count are unknown, limiting reproducibility assessments.
• Geographic coverage is limited to Pennsylvania municipalities that choose to participate, potentially creating bias.
• The WVAL methodology is an indirect proxy for community infection risk and may be influenced by non-epidemiological factors.

Provenance

Source

data.pa.gov, likely the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Collection Method

Calculated from viral concentrations measured in wastewater collected from participating municipal treatment plants.

Time Range

Includes current and historical weekly data; specific start date is unknown.

Freshness

Updated weekly on Mondays; last platform update was 2026-03-30.

Geography

State of Pennsylvania, United States.