Wastewater data shows the amount of COVID-19 is rising again in the Bay Area, but hospitalizations are not spiking. Here's what doctors are saying about the latest developments.
"Wastewater concentrations now are concerning that they’re starting to rise up again," Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matthew Willis said.
The number of reported COVID-19 cases remains low, but that data has become unreliable because most people test at home and often don't report results to the county. That means public health is looking at wastewater to find the true COVID-19 level in various places. "It’s actually a really reliable and effective way of seeing the amount of virus that's flowing in our community across the population as a whole," Willis said.Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The amount of virus in Marin County's wastewater most recently peaked around the New Year and dropped toward the end of January, but now it's spiking again. Other counties are seeing a similar trend. "Right now, our levels are similar to where they were a year ago when we had about 400 cases per day," Willis said."If you look at the concentration in the wastewater, it correlates to that level, which is about 20 times more cases than we’re seeing reported per day now. We’re seeing about 20 cases reported."
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