Water Sector News
A snapshot of clean water stories from publications around the country, updated daily!
Wastewater COVID numbers soared in late summer ahead of possible fall wave
Aug 21, 2023
https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/wastewater-covid-numbers-soared-late-summer-ahead-possible-fall-wave/KYR2INQTJVBDDIX5RAHAQJI47A/
WORCESTER, Mass — A temporary rise or the start of something bigger? Epidemiologists can’t predict what’s next for Covid-19. But one indicator suggests the virus may be getting a foothold -- one that could mean a wave in the fall.
Biobot Analytics reports the amount of Covid in wastewater rose sharply from July to August -- more than doubling nationally, from about 240 copies per milliliter to more than 500 copies. That is still a relatively low number, said Cristin Young, MPH, PhD, an epidemiologist with Biobot -- with levels in July five times lower than what Biobot measured the same time last year.
“We were in a pretty high plateau for most of 2022, then it started to decrease to levels that we saw in 2020 and 2021,” said Young.