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Respiratory Illness Watch

Updated Wednesdays, October through May. This update: Wednesday, February 19, 2025

 

 

About this data:

Each week, we calculate the percentage of visits related to respiratory illnesses and compare it to past trends. Based on this, we classify activity as low, moderate, or high to show how illnesses affect the community.[1] Since people visit emergency departments mostly for moderate or severe symptoms, this also gives clues about illness severity. By tracking these trends, we help keep our community informed and prepared.

Tracking respiratory illnesses like colds, flu, and other viruses helps protect the health of people in our communities. While we can't measure exactly how much virus is circulating, emergency department visits give us a good sense of their impact.           

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Local and provincial trends

Percentage of respiratory-related emergency department visits in the Northeast and Ontario this season. 

Graph showing the percentage of emergency visits in Northeast Ontario due to respiratory issues from September 2024 to the present. Levels rise from low (<10.1%) in September to high (>14.6%) by November, peaking at 23% in late December. They decline in early 2025 but remain high. Ontario follows a similar trend but with rates 5–10% lower, likely due to differences in healthcare access and use. As of February 16, 19% of emergency department visits in the Northeast were due to respiratory symptoms, remaining at a high level and similar to last week. Ontario followed a similar trend.

Notes:

  • The difference between the Northeast’s 19% and Ontario's 10% likely reflects differences in healthcare access and use.
  • Ontario's low, moderate, and high thresholds differ and are not shown in the graph.

What viruses are circulating

Percent positivity of the most common viruses over the last 2 weeks in the Northeastern Public Health area.

For the most recent update, from highest to lowest, the percentage of positive tests is as follows:   25% seasonal human coronavirus  12% RSV 6% influenza A  2% COVID-19  2% Human metapneumovirus  2% Entero/rhinovirus 

Notes:

  • It appears that seasonal human coronavirus, RSV, influenza A, COVID-19, entero/rhinovirus and human metapneumovirus are circulating locally. [2, 3, 4]
  • For Ontario, influenza has the highest percent positivity at 22%, followed by seasonal human coronavirus at 7%, then COVID-19 at 5%.
  • The percentage of positive tests can provide insight into what viruses are circulating in our community, even though testing is only done on some high-risk individuals who meet specific testing criteria.
  • Definitions of various types of viruses can be found in the section on common respiratory viruses below.

Local Institutional Outbreaks

Buildings or facilities where people live or stay overnight and use shared spaces can put people at a higher risk of developing or transmitting respiratory illnesses. These facilities, such as long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, or group homes, apply restrictions to help limit the spread of illness. The following is a list of current outbreaks in Timiskaming.4 

Institutional Name

Pathogen

Start date
 Extendicare Kapuskasing Influenza A  February 9, 2025 
Extendicare Kirkland Lake Seasonal human coronavirus  February 3, 2025 

Reduce your risk and protect others

There are a number of ways to protect yourself from respiratory illnesses:

Some people are more likely to get sick or more severely sick. Find out if you are one of them.

Additional respiratory illness data for Ontario can be found on Public Health Ontario’s Respiratory Virus Tool.  

Methods and sources

This data should be interpreted with caution for the most recent periods due to potential reporting and data cleaning delays. Previously reported data may change as a result.

The "Northeast" refers to the Northeastern Public Health area, which approximately encompasses the Districts of Cochrane and Timiskaming, Temagami, Hornepayne of the Algoma District and the following from the District of Kenora: Marten Falls, and the Attawapiskat and Peawanuck Reserves.

  1. The weekly percentage of respiratory illness-related emergency department visits in the Northeastern Public Health area is compared to the historical seasonal benchmarks from 2011/12 to 2023/24, excluding pandemic years. The activity level is then classified as low, moderate, or high. These levels are based on seasonal averages with a 2 standard deviation buffer. Moderate begins at 10.1%, and high at 14.6% respiratory visits.
    Data is from the Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance Application (ACES) and Viral Respiratory Mapper – ACES ED Visits, which is provided by Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington Public Health. Accessed each week at https://www.kflaphi.ca/acute-care-enhanced-surveillance/. Ontario data is missing for the Chatham-Kent, South East and Windsor-Essex Health Units.
  2. Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). Ontario respiratory virus tool. Toronto, ON. Available at https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/data-and-analysis/infectious-disease/id-query.
  3. Ministry of Ontario, Capacity Planning and Analytics Division, Visual Analytics Hub – COVID
  4. Integrated Public Health Information System, Northeastern Public Health 

Common respiratory viruses 

The descriptions below are just a general overview. How sick someone gets can be different for each person. Some might only have mild symptoms, while others could get more severe symptoms, and sadly, in some cases, it can even lead to death.

Adenoviruses cause a range of illnesses, including respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Symptoms may include fever, cough, and sore throat.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses causing respiratory infections. Some strains, like the common cold coronaviruses, result in mild symptoms. Others, such as those causing SARS and MERS, or COVID-19 can lead to severe respiratory illnesses.

Enteroviruses and rhinoviruses commonly cause mild respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Rhinoviruses are a frequent cause of the common cold, leading to symptoms like runny nose and congestion.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a respiratory virus that can cause infections, especially in children and older adults. Symptoms may include cough, fever, and difficulty breathing.

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is caused by influenza viruses. The flu can result in a range of symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, fatigue, and more.

Parainfluenza viruses cause respiratory infections, such as croup and bronchiolitis, particularly in young children. Symptoms may include cough, fever, and a barking cough in the case of croup.

RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It is a common virus that can cause cold-like symptoms. RSV is a common virus affecting the respiratory tract, causing illnesses like bronchiolitis and pneumonia, especially in infants and young children.

 

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