BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (WTVG) - Health officials in Wood County are warning the public after they discovered elevated levels of COVID-19 in the county’s wastewater. The rise, say health officials, is in line with a recent increase in levels of the disease in the community.

Communities across Ohio are utilizing wastewater monitoring to track the spread of virus cases and while the practice cannot be used to track daily changes, it is useful in tracking trends in a community over time. According to the Wood County Health Department, the levels of Sars-Cov-2, the virus that cases COVID-19, in the county’s wastewater on November 8 was 5.6 times higher than they were on October 25.

The results come at the same time that Wood County has been elevated back to Level 3 (Red) on the statewide coronavirus index map, along with nearly every other Northwest Ohio county. This elevation, says the Health Department, comes largely due to community spread rather than spread in congregate settings like schools or retail locations. The Health Department is urging residents of the county to limit social gatherings and to practice social distancing, mask-wearing, and frequent handwashing to help curb the spread of the virus.