The country’s wastewater has seen a sharp increase in coronavirus levels, suggesting that the summertime surge is still expanding.
For the first time this summer, national virus measurements in sewage have reached “high” levels, according to estimates issued on Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the government, COVID-19 is expanding or most likely expanding in 44 states as well as the nation’s capital.
Furthermore, CDC data for the week ending July 6 show that California has “very high” coronavirus levels in its wastewater for the first time since the winter.
There were seven states in this category: Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, and Oregon. California was one of them. There are high levels of coronavirus in sewage in nineteen other states, which encompass every part of the nation.
It is currently estimated that coronavirus levels in California’s wastewater have increased dramatically from the previous summer.
Additionally, high amounts of the virus in wastewater were discovered in two of Northern California’s main sewersheds, which include the cities of Palo Alto and San Jose in Santa Clara County, the most populous county in the region.
Moreover, California’s positive COVID test results rate has nearly surpassed its peak from the previous summer. In comparison, the percentage for the same week one month prior was 4.8%.
During the week ending July 8, 13% of reported tests had positive results. At 13.1% in late August and early September last summer, the peak positive test rate was nearly surpassed by the most recent one.
wastewater coronavirus levels have dramatically increased in Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the US.
In L.A. County, the rate of ER visits linked to the coronavirus has also increased. A month ago, 1.5% of ER visits were connected to the coronavirus; for the week ending July 7, that number was 2.5%. The week ending August 27, 2018, was the highest point of the previous summer, with 5.1% of ER visits being linked to the coronavirus.
The midyear surge in COVID cases began in May, which was earlier than usual. In the past, the midyear spike in cases and hospital admissions in Los Angeles County started in early July (2021 and 2023) but in early May (2022).
Health officials are keeping a careful eye on the rise in diseases from coast to coast. Given the rising number of cases in the city, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Tuesday encouraged people to think about donning a mask, especially in crowded indoor settings and especially for higher-risk individuals.
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The agency posted on social media with the caption, “Mask up, NYC!” and an image of people wearing masks on public transportation.
The rise in coronavirus infections coincides with the ascendancy of a new class of subvariants known as FLiRT, which is 20% more transmissible than the winter prevalent subvariant, according to estimates.
An estimated 70.5% of COVID specimens nationwide over the two-week period that concluded on July 6 were of the FLiRT subvariants, which are formally known as KP.3, KP.2, and KP.1.1. Comparatively, that was 54.9% a month ago.
There are no states where the summer COVID wave is declining or likely to decline, according to the CDC. The CDC reports that COVID instances were either stable or trending in three states: Hawaii, New Mexico, and Oregon. For Wyoming, Wisconsin, or Missouri, estimates were not provided.
