Respiratory Virus Test Results Reported over Time

A. SUMMARY This dataset includes a weekly count of test results reported, and how many of those were positive, negative, and indeterminate for Influenza, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 amongst San Francisco residents. The California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Section 2505 requires all laboratories in San Francisco to report all COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV test results to the San Francisco Department of Public Health via electronic lab reporting (ELR). Reported tests include tests with a positive, negative or indeterminate result. Indeterminate results, which could not conclusively determine whether the respiratory virus was present, are not included in the calculation of percent positive. Tests are de-duplicated by an individual, date, and virus. This means that if a person gets tested multiple times on different dates in the last 30 days, all of those individual tests will be included in this data as individual tests (on each specimen collection date). Data are reported from 6/29/2025 onward, aligning with CDPH’s start of the 2025-2026 respiratory season. Please note that the number of total positive test results is not equal to the total number of respiratory virus cases in San Francisco. Not all respiratory virus cases will be identified from lab testing. For information on services related to respiratory viruses, please visit our online resource page. B. HOW THE DATASET IS CREATED Laboratory test volume and positivity for Influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 are based on electronic laboratory test reports. Deduplication, quality assurance measures and other data verification processes maximize accuracy of laboratory test information. C. UPDATE PROCESS The dataset is updated every Friday and includes data from the previous Sunday through Saturday. For example, the update on Friday, October 17th will include data through Saturday, October 11th. Historic data may change as more current information becomes available. D. HOW TO USE THIS DATASET Weekly data represent a count of Influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 tests reported amongst San Francisco residents. The data also displays how many of those tests resulted as positive, negative, or indeterminate. Test positivity for each respiratory virus is calculated by summing the number of positive tests reported each week and dividing by the total number of positive and negative tests reported for a given week. Respiratory virus activity levels for test positivity are based on a CDPH definition which uses 5 prior seasons of test-positivity data. Definitions are shown below: COVID-19: Very Low <2%, Low 2-7%, Moderate 7-11%, High 11-16%, Very High >16% Influenza: Very Low <2%, Low 2-5%, Moderate 5-9%, High 9-13%, Very High >13% RSV: Very Low <1%, Low 1-4%, Moderate 4-6%, High 6-9%, Very High >9% Trend indicators are also included to describe whether the positivity rate for each respiratory virus is increasing, decreasing, or stable compared to the previous week. Increasing and decreasing values indicate a change of at least 0.5 percentage points (0.5%) in the percentage of specimens positive for Influenza, COVID‑19, or RSV compared to the previous week reported. Stable represents a change less than 0.5 percentage points (0.5%). E. RELATED DATASETS A previous version of COVID‑19 Testing Over Time dataset was archived. For historical purposes, you can access the archived dataset here.

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