July 3, 2024 – COVID-19 cases have been surging across the country this summer, and wastewater surveillance data now suggests that a further surge may be underway in the western United States.
The CDC has updated its wastewater surveillance online page to report that the virus that causes COVID, called SARS-CoV-2, is being detected at peak levels in some western states. The Western Reference Region includes thirteen states and one territory: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
The new report of increased COVID activity comes as peak season for the July 4th holiday begins. Wearing a well-fitting mask in crowded indoor environments is still on the CDC’s COVID prevention tip sheet, in addition to staying up to date on vaccinations and practicing smart practices. hygiene.
Detection of sewage viruses is considered an indicator of some infectious diseases because it can involve person-to-person viral spread ahead of testing trends because, in poor health, other people tend to wait to go to the doctor or hospital. In addition, wastewater tracking can show trends when other people are infected with a virus and have no symptoms. COVID symptoms appear between 2 and 14 days after exposure.
In its latest wastewater tracking report, the CDC suggested others place the uptrend in the context of COVID activity being traditionally low.
“In April and May 2024, COVID-19 activity was lower than at any time since the beginning of the pandemic. Recent increases should be considered from this baseline. This includes an increase in COVID-19 test positivity and emergency room visits. , suggesting an expansion of COVID-19 activity in several states, as well as increased rates of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among adults aged 65 and older in some Western sites,” the firm explained. Last updated. While there are indications of the possible start of a surge in the summer, national COVID-19 activity remains low. CDC will continue to monitor to see if those recent increases persist.
The CDC’s wastewater monitoring program includes knowledge from 1,214 sites and is expected to cover approximately 126 million people, or 37% of the U. S. population.
The most recent figures imply a worrying deviation from the point of SARS-CoV-2 activity, which has maintained a stable upward trend since May. New data from Western states rose more sharply than the rest of the country in the week of June 15. to 22.
Surveillance by scientists at Stanford University and Emory published in WastewaterSCAN. org also shows higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 across the country. The donation-funded program reports on municipal wastewater from approximately two hundred sites across the country and says there is viral activity. has been “high” during the last three weeks throughout the country, with the exception of the Northeast, where activity has been classified as “average”.
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