August 13, 2024 – More than half of U.S. states report signs that COVID Water levels will proceed to rise throughout the summer.
The latest CDC Wastewater monitoring data shows that 27 U.S. states are seeing “very high” levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. The “very high” designation indicates the best level of viral activity utilized by the agency. There are 4 lower levels that will be reported: minimal, low, moderate and high. Nationally, the bottom level reported is moderate, and there aren't any states reporting low or minimal levels.
“If you detect elevated levels of SARS-CoV-2 viral activity in wastewater, it could indicate that there is a higher risk of infection,” warns the CDC.
There are further signs that the summer COVID wave is much from the tip of its 13-week surge. The rate of positive COVID tests The variety of cases reported to the CDC is now over 17%, up from 0.3% in early May. The rate of positive COVID tests is at its highest level since about 2 years agoThe region of the U.S. that features Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas had the best combined regional positivity rate at 24% for the week ending August 3.
The CDC recommends staying alert as to whether respiratory viruses like COVID are causing quite a lot of illness in an individual’s community. The CDC still offers a Search tool at district level to know local COVID levels and help people make decisions about prevention measures, corresponding to wearing a mask in public.
An updated COVID vaccine advisable for everybody ages 6 months and older shall be available later this fall.