PADUCAH, Ky. (News First) — As Americans prepare to travel and gather for the holidays, a new warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows high levels of COVID-19 in wastewater nationwide.
The CDC said almost every state reporting such data is showing at least “high” levels of the virus compared to baseline trends, with many reporting “very high” levels. The agency defines “very high” as more than 10 times the baseline level.
Click HERE to see an interactive county by county map of the latest COVID levels across the nation: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_new-admissions-rate-county
The CDC’s wastewater surveillance system tracks the genetic material of the virus in sewage samples collected from more than 1,000 sites across the country. The system provides an early indicator of COVID-19 trends in communities, as people shed the virus in their feces regardless of whether they have symptoms or get tested.
The latest data, as of early December, showed 22 states had “very high” COVID-19 levels in wastewater, mostly in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions2. The CDC said this reflects the surge of cases driven by the highly contagious delta variant and the colder weather that drives people indoors.
While many Americans have some combination of natural and vaccine-induced immunity, COVID-19 can still make people sick and force them to miss school, work or holiday activities3. It also remains a potentially fatal threat for vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and immunocompromised4.
The CDC reported nearly 67,200 deaths related to COVID-19 so far this year, down significantly from about 246,200 last year and 463,300 in 2021, but still a considerable toll5.
The agency also warned of low levels of COVID-19, flu and RSV vaccinations this season, which could increase the risk of severe illness and hospitalization.
Some evidence suggests that multiple exposures to COVID-19 can have a cumulative negative effect on health, though research is ongoing.
The CDC urged Americans to get vaccinated, boosted and tested before traveling or gathering for the holidays, and to wear masks and practice social distancing in public settings.
Wastewater analysis is a relatively new method of tracking diseases that is still being refined. The CDC said one limitation of the system is that some states have few or no wastewater reporting sites, which may not reflect the true spread of the virus in those areas.
