2025-26 Enhancements to the Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool

Public Health Ontario has updated the Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool (ORVT), to deliver a better user experience, and provide more accessible, comprehensive data on respiratory virus activity in Ontario.

Key enhancements to the ORVT for the 2025-26 respiratory virus season include:

• Weekly key highlights
• Written key highlights published weekly (October – March) describing respiratory virus activity, including antiviral resistance and genomics insights.
• Single source for laboratory testing data
• All laboratory testing data from 2020 onward are now sourced exclusively from the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS) to support more streamlined and consistent reporting, replacing data previously provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada and PHO’s laboratory.
• Data label alignment
• COVID-19 data previously labeled as episodes will now be referred to as cases. Moving forward, both COVID-19 and influenza data will be presented as cases for simplicity and consistency. Visit the Technical Notes for methodological details.
• Expanded outcome indicators
• ICU bed occupancy for influenza and RSV.
• Hospital admissions for COVID-19, influenza and RSV.
• Combined bed occupancy view for COVID-19, influenza and RSV.
• Tool improvements
• Enhanced filters, clearer visuals, and renamed sections to improve navigation and user experience.

Why has the primary source for laboratory testing data changed with this iteration of the tool?
For the 2025–26 season, all laboratory testing data from 2020 onward is now sourced exclusively from the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS), a province-wide system that captures results from hospitals, community labs, and public health labs. This change improves consistency across RSV, influenza, COVID-19, and other respiratory virus reporting. Using OLIS allows for more detailed reporting, with a single source that better reflects lab testing activity across Ontario.

Why has the data label changed for COVID-19 cases?
Starting October 2025, COVID-19 case data previously labelled episodes will now be referred to as cases, aligning with how influenza data is presented. This change reflects updates to data sources over time and ensures a more consistent presentation of respiratory virus activity in Ontario. Visit the Technical Notes for details on the methodology.

Why has the methodology changed for COVID-19 and Influenza cases?
The data sources and methods used to determine COVID-19 and Influenza cases have evolved over time.

• COVID-19: PHU reported data was used prior to June 2, 2024.
• Influenza: PHU reported data was used prior to September 21, 2025.

Starting October 2025, both COVID-19 and Influenza cases are calculated using OLIS data. This provides the most consistent presentation of respiratory virus activity in Ontario. Visit the Technical Notes to learn more about the methodology used to calculate cases.

Where can I find historical information related PHU respiratory virus activity prior to the PHU mergers?
The tool has been updated to reflect public health unit mergers as of January 1, 2025. Historical data are available upon request, please email data@oahpp.ca. 

How often is the tool updated?
The tool will be updated weekly on Fridays, with data up until the previous Saturday.

What can I do if I can’t find the information that I am looking for?
To see information on source data, methods, assessment criteria, citations and more, explore the  Technical Notes. To learn how to navigate the tool, check out the User Guide.

If you have any questions about the updates, please email Communicable.DiseaseControl@oahpp.ca.