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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of COVID-19 viruses being detected at sewage sampling sites is on the rise. The trend came as the country recently began lifting mask-wearing requirements and easing pandemic restrictions aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus.
Of the 398 current wastewater sampling points with active data, 44 points saw an increase in the detection rate of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater by 1000% or more, and 62 points saw an increase from 100% to 999%. March 26, 2022 – March 12, 2022, according to CDC COVID data tracker.
Chart showing the 15-day percentage change in SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater in the United States from February 26 to March 12. Data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Dr. Aaron Glatt, who is chief of infectious diseases and an epidemiologist at Mount Sinai in South Nassau on Long Island, New York, told Fox News that one reason for the surge could be due to a variant of the coronavirus. “We are definitely seeing growth in our region, in our country and around the world of the omicron BA.2 variant.”
Glatt, who is also chair of the Department of Medicine and a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, also told Fox News: “This likely explains the surge in cases and the presence of higher values in wastewater. Whether this portends more cases and hospitalizations in the near future, we will find out in a week or two.”
Glatt also noted, “We believe that this strain is more contagious, although it does not cause more serious diseases.”
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On Tuesday, the CDC confirmed a rise in coronavirus detections in sewage surveillance systems, after a recent Bloomberg report said more than a third of CDC wastewater sampling sites in the US have shown rising Covid-19 trends since March 1. until March 10th.
An analysis of a wastewater sample showing signs of the viral genes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be seen on a monitor in the laboratory of the Institute for Hygiene and Health on March 3, 2022 in Hamburg, Germany. As part of the model project, the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 should be monitored in wastewater for one year. (Photo by Daniel Reinhardt/photo alliance via Getty Images)
While health officials said the number of reported COVID-19 cases remains at a recent low, the number of wastewater observation sites with a rising number of Covid-19 cases has nearly doubled compared to the period Feb. 1-10. when the highly contagious omicron variant began to wane, according to media reports.
More than one-third (36%) of sites experienced an increase in virus detection between March 1 and 10, more than double the number of wastewater sampling sites (15%) that experienced an increase between February 1 and February 10 , according to Bloomberg analysis.
Amy Kirby, program manager for the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) at the CDC, admitted to the media that while sites are seeing growth, sewage levels tend to be very low. Kirby said in a media statement, “These bumps may simply reflect a marginal increase from a very low level to a still low level.”
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Kirby also said: “However, Covid-19 infections may be on the rise in some communities as prevention strategies in many states have changed in recent weeks.”
In wastewater, it is possible to reliably predict the development of a coronavirus pandemic. The TU Darmstadt, a public German university, is one of the two reference laboratories for sequencing wastewater samples in Europe, analyzes samples from around 50 wastewater treatment plants from all over Europe and coordinates two Hesse pilot projects in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden. (Photo by Arne Dedert/photo by the alliance via Getty Images)
A person infected with SARS-CoV-2 can shed viral RNA, the genetic material of the virus, in their feces, according to the CDC. This RNA can be found in domestic wastewater, including water from domestic or construction uses such as showers, sinks and toilets, which may contain human feces. It also collects water from rain and industrial use. Effluent is collected from the treatment plan and samples are tested for the presence of the virus. The data is reported by health departments to the CDC, as the federal health agency explained on its website.
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The NWSS DCIPHER system analyzes the data and reports the results to the public health department for use in the response to COVID-19. The results are available to the public through the CDC COVID Data Tracker.
Health officials told Fox News that this type of wastewater surveillance could be an early indicator of whether the number of people with COVID-19 in a community is increasing or decreasing.