Experts look to wastewater surveillance as an early indicator of what’s to come, since people can shed the virus in their stool days before they have any symptoms. Across the nation, current average COVID-19 levels are about 5 percent lower than they were last week, according to a Sept. 19 report from NBC News.
The news outlet cited data from Biobot Analytics, which monitors wastewater samples at 257 U.S. locations.
“All fingers crossed,” Cristin Young, PhD, an epidemiologist at the analytics company, told NBC. “This wave is plateauing and may be declining.”
CDC wastewater surveillance data shows levels have declined at sites in some Mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia and Maryland. However, the Midwest and Northeast are seeing a steady uptick, according to the data.
Nationwide, COVID-19 admissions increased for the ninth week straight for the week ending Sept. 9. The hospitalization rate was highest in Florida, with 10.65 new admissions per 100,000 population in the last week. Any level of plateau or decline likely won’t be reflected in admissions trends for a few weeks.
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