Wastewater across the country shows a significant increase in coronavirus levels, suggesting that the summer bump in cases is still rising.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released estimates on Friday that revealed “high” levels of National virus measurements in sewage for the first time this summer. According to the agency’s report, COVID-19 is either increasing or likely increasing in 44 states and in the nation’s capital.
According to recent CDC data for the week ending July 6, California has recorded “very high” coronavirus levels in its wastewater, marking the first time since winter. This places California among seven other states, including Arkansas, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, and Texas, in this category. In addition, 19 other states, spanning across the entire country, have also reported high levels of coronavirus in their sewage.
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Recent estimates show that the levels of coronavirus in California’s wastewater are considerably higher than those recorded last summer. In California, which is the most populous county in Northern California, the two largest sewersheds that cover San Jose and Palo Alto have reported elevated levels of the virus in their wastewater.
In California, the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests is nearing last year’s peak, with a rate of 13% for the week ending on July 8th. This is a significant increase from the 4.8% rate reported just a month earlier. The current positive test rate is nearly at the same level as the peak from last summer, which was 13.1% in late August and early September.
The levels of coronavirus in wastewater have witnessed a significant rise in Los Angeles County, which is the most populous county in the United States.
The L.A. County Department of Public Health has reported a surge in COVID-19 cases, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. As per their statement to The Times, the situation is alarming, and it is too soon to predict if this summer will witness a larger wave of infections compared to the previous year.
According to the health department, the coronavirus levels in L.A. County sewage were at 27% of last winter’s peak for the 10-day period that ended on June 29, which is the most recent information available. This is a significant increase from the previous comparable period that ended on June 22, which was only 17% of last winter’s peak.
The county has seen a significant increase in COVID cases recently. In the week ending July 7, the daily average of new cases was 307, which is a significant rise from 121 a day just a month ago. It’s worth noting that the peak of cases last summer was an average of 571 cases a day for the week ending August 26.
While it is important to note that the number of officially reported COVID-19 cases may not accurately reflect the full extent of the pandemic, as they only account for test results conducted in medical facilities and not at-home tests, it is still valuable to track case counts in order to assess broader trends. Additionally, it is worth highlighting that fewer individuals are opting to get tested for COVID-19 when they are feeling ill, further contributing to the undercount of cases.
In Los Angeles County, the proportion of ER visits linked to coronavirus has risen recently. As of the week ending on July 7th, 2.5% of all ER visits were related to the virus, compared to 1.5% just a month ago. Last summer’s highest peak was observed during the week ending on August 27th, when 5.1% of all emergency room visits were related to the coronavirus.
In 2022, the midyear increase in COVID cases in L.A. County came earlier than expected, starting in May. This is a change from previous years where the bump in cases and hospitalizations typically began in early July, such as in 2021 and 2023.
Officials from Kaiser Permanente Southern California have reported that they are closely monitoring an increase in COVID-19 cases, particularly among outpatients.
Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, the regional chief of infectious disease at Kaiser Southern California, commented on the current situation of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, saying “The numbers are still slowly, slowly rising.” She further added that it is crucial to observe where things will go from here, especially since the Fourth of July has passed, and it’s usually the time when an increase in cases is observed if there is going to be one.
As infections continue to rise, health officials across the country are keeping a close eye on the situation. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in New York City recently issued a statement advising residents to consider wearing masks in crowded indoor settings, especially for those who are at higher risk. The agency even went as far as encouraging the public to “Mask up, NYC!” in a social media post, which featured an image of passengers on mass transit all wearing masks.
Infections from the coronavirus are on the rise, and this is happening at the same time that a new subtype of subvariants, called FLiRT, is gaining dominance. This new subtype is believed to be 20% more contagious than the subvariant that was dominant during the winter. According to estimates, for the two-week period that ended on July 6, approximately 70.5% of COVID specimens across the country were of the FLiRT subtype, which is officially referred to as KP.3, KP.2, and KP.1.1. This marks an increase from 54.9% recorded a month earlier.
According to the CDC, there are currently no states where the summer COVID wave is declining or showing signs of decline. However, three states – Hawaii, New Mexico and Oregon – had either a stable or uncertain trend in COVID cases. It is important to note that estimates were not available for Missouri, Wisconsin or Wyoming.
