United States: Right now, more than half of the U.S. states have really very high levels of COVID activity, according to new information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This means that COVID is spreading a lot in these areas.
At least 27 states have very high levels, and 17 states have high levels of the virus in their wastewater. The western part of the country has the most cases, followed by the South, Midwest, and Northeast. The current levels are close to what they were in the winter, when more people usually get sick from respiratory illnesses.
Wastewater Data Provides Insight
Wastewater data comes with limitations in how well it represents and spread in a community, but it may be the best data available says the experts say.
“While wastewater is not a perfect measure, it’s increasingly vital in filling the gaps left by the absence of comprehensive case reporting and hospitalization data,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor.
As reported by health and fitness, many of the national surveillance systems have diminished in the scope since the national public health emergency ended and leaving the authorities will be limited to the resources to monitor how the virus is spreading.
“As traditional surveillance systems have dwindled, wastewater analysis has emerged as one of the most reliable tools we have to monitor COVID-19 activity in communities,” Brownstein added.
Upcoming COVID Vaccines and Recommendations
Other limited COVID vaccines are set to be available this fall and according to federal health authorities and the U.S food and drug administration recommended that the vaccine manufacturers formulate the shots based on the KP.2 strain an offshoot of the omicron variant that is currently estimated to make up about 6 percent of the cases.
Although these are genetically similar variants which are known as KP.3.1.1 and the KP.3 currently almost half of the estimated cases CDC data shows.
The CDC has already recommended that everyone over the age of 6 months and get a updated COVID vaccine this season and the recommendation will take the effect as soon as the vaccines are. Made available pending FDA authorization.