CDC sewer data suggests bump in US COVID-19 cases

NEW YORK - About a third of wastewater sampling sites across the United States have shown an uptick in COVID-19 cases, according to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In the 15-day period running from Feb 24 to March 10, 145 wastewater sampling sites out of 401 active sites revealed an increase of 10 percent or more in coronavirus wastewater levels, the CDC data showed.

Sixty-two of those sites showed an increase of 1,000 percent or more, while 48 increased anywhere from 100 percent to 999 percent, The Hill on Tuesday reported about the CDC data.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that a 10-day detection of COVID-19 at the sampling sites from March 1 to March 10 was much higher than the period running from Feb 1 to Feb 10, although during that period fewer sites were available for testing.

Examining wastewater through household and building toilets, showers and sinks, as well as non-household sources like rain and industrial uses, does not identify confirmed cases but provides an early warning about the rise of COVID-19, according to The Hill.