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yesterday

Summer COVID-19 Wave Hits 25 States with Bay Area Wastewater at Winter Levels

Officials are urging vulnerable groups to get updated boosters following rising wastewater signals from evolving COVID-19 strains.

Pedestrians cross the street Broadway and walk down Columbus Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. COVID-19 is once again on the rise in California, according to wastewater surveillance data and CDC estimates. 
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Overview

  • U.S. wastewater monitoring recorded a shift from “very low” to “low” COVID-19 levels nationally, signaling early signs of a summer surge.
  • Bay Area sewage tests by the California Department of Public Health and WastewaterSCAN found the virus in 95% of California sites with levels matching winter peaks.
  • Emergency department visits for COVID-19 in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast have climbed to rates unseen since February and March.
  • Sequencing of wastewater samples shows the LP.8.1 variant leading at 33.2%, followed by XFG and the NB.1.8.1 “nimbus” strain.
  • A CDC analysis ties recurring summer and winter waves to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein evolution and recommends updated boosters and hygiene for high-risk populations.