This dataset contains counts of deaths for California counties based on information entered on death certificates. Final counts are derived from static data and include out-of-state deaths to California residents, whereas provisional counts are derived from incomplete and dynamic data. Provisional counts are based on the records available when the data was retrieved and may not represent all deaths that occurred during the time period. Deaths involving injuries from external or environmental forces, such as accidents, homicide and suicide, often require additional investigation that tends to delay certification of the cause and manner of death. This can result in significant under-reporting of these deaths in provisional data.

The final data tables include both deaths that occurred in each California county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence) and deaths to residents of each California county (by residence), whereas the provisional data table only includes deaths that occurred in each county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence). The data are reported as totals, as well as stratified by age, gender, race-ethnicity, and death place type. Deaths due to all causes (ALL) and selected underlying cause of death categories are provided. See temporal coverage for more information on which combinations are available for which years.

The cause of death categories are based solely on the underlying cause of death as coded by the International Classification of Diseases. The underlying cause of death is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury." It is a single value assigned to each death based on the details as entered on the death certificate. When more than one cause is listed, the order in which they are listed can affect which cause is coded as the underlying cause. This means that similar events could be coded with different underlying causes of death depending on variations in how they were entered. Consequently, while underlying cause of death provides a convenient comparison between cause of death categories, it may not capture the full impact of each cause of death as it does not always take into account all conditions contributing to the death.

Note: On April 30, 2024, the Federal mandate for COVID-19 and influenza associated hospitalization data to be reported to CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) expired. Hospitalization data beyond April 30, 2024, will not be updated on the Open Data Portal. Hospitalization and ICU admission data collected from summer 2020 to May 10, 2023, are sourced from the California Hospital Association (CHA) Survey. Data collected on or after May 11, 2023, are sourced from CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

Data is from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Respiratory Virus State Dashboard at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Respiratory-Viruses/RespiratoryDashboard.aspx.

Data are updated each Friday around 2 pm.

For COVID-19 death data: As of January 1, 2023, data was sourced from the California Department of Public Health, California Comprehensive Death File (Dynamic), 2023–Present. Prior to January 1, 2023, death data was sourced from the COVID-19 case registry. The change in data source occurred in July 2023 and was applied retroactively to all 2023 data to provide a consistent source of death data for the year of 2023. Influenza death data was sourced from the California Department of Public Health, California Comprehensive Death File (Dynamic), 2020–Present.

COVID-19 testing data represent data received by CDPH through electronic laboratory reporting of test results for COVID-19 among residents of California. Testing date is the date the test was administered, and tests have a 1-day lag (except for the Los Angeles County, which has an additional 7-day lag). Influenza testing data represent data received by CDPH from clinical sentinel laboratories in California. These laboratories report the aggregate number of laboratory-confirmed influenza virus detections and total tests performed on a weekly basis. These data do not represent all influenza testing occurring in California and are available only at the state level.

The dashboard is updated each Friday.

Laboratory surveillance data: California laboratories report SARS-CoV-2 test results to CDPH through electronic laboratory reporting. Los Angeles County SARS-CoV-2 lab data has a 7-day reporting lag. Test positivity is calculated using SARS-CoV-2 lab tests that has a specimen collection date reported during a given week. Specimens for testing are collected from patients in healthcare settings and do not reflect all testing for COVID-19 in California. Test positivity for a given week is calculated by dividing the number of positive COVID-19 results by the total number of specimens tested for that virus. Weekly laboratory surveillance data are defined as Sunday through Saturday.

Hospitalization data: Data on COVID-19 and influenza hospital admissions are from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Hospitalization dataset. The requirement to report COVID-19-associated hospitalizations was effective November 1, 2024. CDPH pulls NHSN data from the CDC on the Wednesday prior to the publication of the report. Results may differ depending on which day data are pulled. Admission rates are calculated using population estimates from the P-3: Complete State and County Projections Dataset (https://dof.ca.gov/forecasting/demographics/projections/) provided by the State of California Department of Finance. Reported weekly admission rates for the entire season use the population estimates for the year the season started. For more information on NHSN data including the protocol and data collection information, see the CDC NHSN webpage (https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/index.html). Weekly hospitalization data are defined as Sunday through Saturday.

Death certificate data: CDPH receives weekly year-to-date dynamic data on deaths occurring in California from the CDPH Center for Health Statistics and Informatics. These data are limited to deaths occurring among California residents and are analyzed to identify COVID-19-coded deaths. These deaths are not necessarily laboratory-confirmed and are an underestimate of all COVID-19-associated deaths in California. Weekly death data are defined as Sunday through Saturday.

Data is from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Respiratory Virus Weekly Report.

The report is updated each Friday.

Laboratory surveillance data: California laboratories report SARS-CoV-2 test results to CDPH through electronic laboratory reporting. Los Angeles County SARS-CoV-2 lab data has a 7-day reporting lag. Test positivity is calculated using SARS-CoV-2 lab tests that has a specimen collection date reported during a given week.

Laboratory surveillance for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other respiratory viruses (parainfluenza types 1-4, human metapneumovirus, non-SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses, adenovirus, enterovirus/rhinovirus) involves the use of data from clinical sentinel laboratories (hospital, academic or private) located throughout California. Specimens for testing are collected from patients in healthcare settings and do not reflect all testing for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and other respiratory viruses in California. These laboratories report the number of laboratory-confirmed influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and other respiratory virus detections and isolations, and the total number of specimens tested by virus type on a weekly basis.

Test positivity for a given week is calculated by dividing the number of positive COVID-19, influenza, RSV, or other respiratory virus results by the total number of specimens tested for that virus. Weekly laboratory surveillance data are defined as Sunday through Saturday.

Hospitalization data: Data on COVID-19 and influenza hospital admissions are from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Hospitalization dataset. The requirement to report COVID-19 and influenza-associated hospitalizations was effective November 1, 2024. CDPH pulls NHSN data from the CDC on the Wednesday prior to the publication of the report. Results may differ depending on which day data are pulled. Admission rates are calculated using population estimates from the P-3: Complete State and County Projections Dataset provided by the State of California Department of Finance (https://dof.ca.gov/forecasting/demographics/projections/). Reported weekly admission rates for the entire season use the population estimates for the year the season started. For more information on NHSN data including the protocol and data collection information, see the CDC NHSN webpage (https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/index.html).

CDPH collaborates with Northern California Kaiser Permanente (NCKP) to monitor trends in RSV admissions. The percentage of RSV admissions is calculated by dividing the number of RSV-related admissions by the total number of admissions during the same period. Admissions for pregnancy, labor and delivery, birth, and outpatient procedures are not included in total number of admissions. These admissions serve as a proxy for RSV activity and do not necessarily represent laboratory confirmed hospitalizations for RSV infections; NCKP members are not representative of all Californians.

Weekly hospitalization data are defined as Sunday through Saturday.

Death certificate data: CDPH receives weekly year-to-date dynamic data on deaths occurring in California from the CDPH Center for Health Statistics and Informatics. These data are limited to deaths occurring among California residents and are analyzed to identify influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and COVID-19-coded deaths. These deaths are not necessarily laboratory-confirmed and are an underestimate of all influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and COVID-19-associated deaths in California. Weekly death data are defined as Sunday through Saturday.

Wastewater data: This dataset represents statewide weekly SARS-CoV-2 wastewater summary values. SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations from all sites in California are combined into a single, statewide, unit-less summary value for each week, using a method for data transformation and aggregation developed by the CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS). Please see the CDC NWSS data methods page for a description of how these summary values are calculated. Weekly wastewater data are defined as Sunday through Saturday.