CDC launches state Rt dashboard

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added state-by-state Rt estimates for COVID-19, influenza and RSV to its epidemic-trends pages, giving the public a routine view of whether transmission appears to be rising, flat or falling. The CDC page says Rt is a measure of transmission and should be used with other indicators, not as a stand-alone gauge of how much disease is circulating. As of May 19, 2026, the agency said COVID-19 infections were growing or likely growing in four states, declining or likely declining in 14 states, and not changing in 19 states. ### What, exactly, did the CDC add? The CDC’s “Current Epidemic Trends (Based on Rt) for States” page now presents state-level estimates for three respiratory viruses: COVID-19, influenza and RSV. The map allows users to click on a state and see whether the estimated epidemic trend is growing, likely growing, not changing, likely declining, declining or not estimated. (cdc.gov) The Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, or CFA, describes the tool as part of its respiratory-virus planning products. CDC says those products include epidemic trend estimates, seasonal outlooks and forecasts intended to support public-health preparedness. ### What does Rt tell you — and what does it not tell you? The CDC says Rt indicates whether the number of infections is likely growing or declining. (cdc.gov) The agency also says the metric does not show the burden of disease, meaning it does not tell users how many people are currently sick, hospitalized or seeking care. CDC’s “Behind the Model” page says estimated values above 1 indicate epidemic growth, and the agency uses Rt to assess transmission trends and forecast short-term changes. (cdc.gov) That page says Rt reflects population susceptibility, interventions and behavior at the time underlying infections occurred. ### Why is the agency pairing Rt with other dashboards? (cdc.gov) The CDC says Rt should be read alongside other surveillance metrics, including the share of emergency-department visits tied to respiratory illness. On the Rt page, the agency points users to callout boxes showing ED-visit data for a fuller picture. A separate CDC respiratory-illness data page, updated May 22, said acute respiratory illness causing people to seek health care was “very low,” COVID-19 activity was low in most areas, seasonal influenza activity was low, and RSV activity had peaked in most regions. (cdc.gov) Another CDC page says the respiratory-virus activity-level model is designed to show trend direction rather than the actual number of infections. (cdc.gov) ### How should someone use a state Rt reading in practice? The CDC does not present the Rt dashboard as a trigger for immediate policy action on its public page. Instead, the agency frames it as one part of situational awareness for respiratory viruses, alongside hospitalization, emergency-department and laboratory surveillance. CDC’s respiratory-season outlook says its planning products are intended to help decision-makers prepare for periods when hospitals might face more demand from COVID-19, influenza and RSV. (cdc.gov) That makes the state Rt page more useful as an early planning signal for households, clinicians and local officials than as a stand-alone measure of severity. (cdc.gov) ### Where can readers check the next update? The CDC says the Rt estimates are available on its epidemic-trends page for states, while previous estimates are archived on Data.CDC.gov. The agency’s respiratory-virus hospitalization and surveillance dashboards, including RESP-NET and NREVSS, are also updated on a weekly basis. As of May 23, 2026, the CDC’s respiratory-illness data channel remained live with current national activity summaries, and the Rt page remained the agency’s central location for state trend estimates for COVID-19, influenza and RSV. (cdc.gov 1) (cdc.gov 2) (cdc.gov 3)