The Maryland Department of Health unveiled the Maryland Combined Respiratory Illness Data Dashboard on October 27, 2025, consolidating trends for COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus to aid public awareness and resource allocation during the respiratory illness season.
Health Secretary Dr. Meena Seshamani described the tool as a means to enhance data access and transparency. “The dashboard will help us increase access to public health information, promote data transparency, and expand awareness of respiratory illness activity in the state,” Seshamani said. “It will also help ensure a proactive response to emerging trends and focus prevention and response resources. Marylanders may use this new respiratory dashboard to make informed decisions when traveling or attending major events throughout the year.”
The dashboard, accessible at the department’s Prevention and Health Promotion Administration site, integrates data from existing trackers for each virus while adding details on RSV vaccination rates and statewide respiratory illness deaths. Users can view summaries of overall activity levels, hospitalizations, vaccinations and fatalities, offering a unified perspective on the viruses’ collective burden. Activity levels draw from emergency department visits and wastewater surveillance, updated weekly to reflect lab-confirmed cases and trends.
During the 2024-2025 season, which runs from October through May, the viruses prompted nearly 5,000 hospitalizations for lab-confirmed COVID-19, more than 8,000 for influenza and over 2,600 for RSV statewide. Influenza, caused by types A and B viruses, spreads via droplets from coughs or sneezes and peaks in winter, leading to symptoms like fever, cough and body aches that last a week for most but can escalate to pneumonia in older adults or those with chronic conditions. COVID-19, now endemic, presents similar respiratory symptoms but includes loss of taste or smell in some cases, with variants monitored through genomic sequencing. RSV primarily affects infants and seniors, causing bronchiolitis in young children and exacerbating asthma or heart failure in the elderly; it circulates year-round but surges in fall and winter.
The dashboard’s hospitalization summary tracks admissions per 100,000 residents, segmented by age groups such as under 5, 5 to 17, 18 to 49, 50 to 64 and 65 and older. Vaccination data covers uptake for each virus, including the updated 2025-2026 formulations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Death summaries aggregate fatalities attributed to the viruses, helping officials gauge severity. All three pathogens remain active into winter, straining hospitals, schools and workplaces through absenteeism and secondary bacterial infections.
Statewide vaccination remains the primary defense, with the department issuing a standing order for COVID-19 vaccines to streamline access at pharmacies and clinics without prior appointments. Updated guidance for the 2025-2026 season recommends annual flu shots for all ages 6 months and older, COVID-19 boosters for those 6 months and up, and RSV immunizations for infants under 8 months or adults 60 and older with risk factors like chronic lung disease. Providers receive clinical protocols emphasizing co-administration of vaccines to minimize side effects, typically mild soreness or fatigue lasting a day.
The dashboard builds on prior tools, such as the influenza surveillance page that includes county breakdowns, though the new platform prioritizes aggregated views for quicker insights. Maryland’s approach reflects lessons from the 2023-2024 season, when a mild flu year still saw 4,200 hospitalizations, underscoring the value of layered protections like handwashing, masking in crowded indoor spaces and staying home when ill. Wastewater testing, a key metric, detects viral RNA in sewage before clinical surges, allowing early interventions such as school notifications or targeted testing.
Broader context shows Maryland’s respiratory surveillance evolving since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the department partnering with the CDC’s Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network for real-time data. The 2024-2025 season opened with low activity as of late September, but experts anticipate rises tied to indoor holiday travel. Recommendations appear on the department’s site, including links to find free or low-cost vaccines through Vaccines for Children or the Bridge Access Program for uninsured adults.
As winter approaches, the tool supports equitable responses, directing resources to underserved areas like Southern Maryland’s rural pockets where transportation barriers limit clinic access. Residents can access it via mobile devices for on-the-go checks, fostering informed choices amid the season’s demands.