City Finds Elevated Levels of COVID in its Wastewater

(TNS) – In an ongoing effort to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, a network across Ohio is studying samples of wastewater to look for the presence of fragments from the virus that cause the disease.

An upward trend of viral gene copies has been detected in the Ashtabula sewer-shed, which serves Ashtabula City and parts of Saybrook and Ashtabula Township , City Manager Jim Timonere said Thursday.

“We haven’t seen this since July — and just in time for Christmas,” he said. “The waste water testing showed a sustained increase from Dec. 11 to Dec. 18 .”

This trend is an early indicator that cases of COVID-19 in the community may be increasing. Residents should be on alert and remain vigilant in their efforts to social distance, wear face coverings, and adhere to prevention efforts such as frequent hand-washing and sanitizing, according to health officials.

This emerging information is being used by the Ashtabula City and Ashtabula County Health Departments in conjunction with community case numbers and other COVID-19-related data to further inform decisions as they respond to the pandemic. The Ashtabula City and Ashtabula County Health Departments have alerted healthcare providers, nursing homes, and other shared- living facilities to be prepared for a potential increase in cases.

The increase of COVID-19 cases in communities is typically tracked by testing people with symptoms, an indicator that lags behind the actual spread of the disease.

However, research has shown that non-infectious RNA (ribonucleic acid) from the virus that cause COVID-19 can be detected in wastewater as many as three to seven days before those infections lead to increases in case counts or hospitalizations. This means that monitoring raw wastewater in sewage collection systems can provide an early warning of disease increase in a community.

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©2022 the Star Beacon (Ashtabula, Ohio)
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