As we enter respiratory virus illness season, nursing facilities are reminded to remain diligent in their infection control practices to limit the spread of respiratory viruses (flu, COVID-19, RSV) to residents and staff. Nursing facilities must adhere to the DPH guidance on Organizational Policies and Procedures for Mitigating Respiratory Illness and continue to identify and monitor respiratory illness metrics to indicate when there are increased levels in the community which may necessitate implementing additional infection control measures. One possible metric is the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) Wastewater COVID-19 Tracking which measures the SARS-CoV2 levels. The data as of October 3, 2025, is found in the table below.
Additionally, the DPH Respiratory Illness Dashboard provides information on respiratory illness (COVID-19, influenza and RSV) cases including emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Data through September 27, 2025, shows 0.4% of emergency room visits in MA are due to influenza, 0.4% due to COVID-19, and 0.0% due to RSV. For hospitalizations, 0.1% are due to influenza, 1.2% due to COVID-19, and 0.1% due to RSV.
CDC Resource for Tracking Acute Respiratory Illness: The CDC acute respiratory illness metric also offers a comprehensive measurement of respiratory viruses (COVID-19, flu, RSV) and other respiratory infections. The metric can be found at: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Respiratory Illness Data Channel.