COVIDTRACKERCT
The concentration of Covid-19 RNA in New Haven’s wastewater shot up — raising concerns that a flood of new local coronavirus cases may follow.
The rise was reported by Yale School of Engineering researchers who have been measuring fecal samples from New Haven’s sewage during the pandemic to alert officials of when surges are beginning through its online Covid Tracker. (Click here to read a story about that effort.) The RNA concentration in human waste is considered an early indicator of the coronavirus’s spread.
The latest numbers show a dramatic increase in just nine days: The levels spiked from just over 30,000 copies/mL to 50,000 from Oct. 16 to Oct. 25. Those levels hadn’t been seen since the tapering off of the first Covid-19 surge in early June.
“In March, this predicted a surge in hospitalizations 3 – 5 days out with near-perfect accuracy,” DataHaven, which is tracking the Covid Tracker, observed Monday in a tweet. “Boston is seeing a similar surge in its … wastewater this week.”
City Health Director Maritza Bond has also been monitoring the Covid Tracker. The surge has her concerned, she said Wednesday. “We are closely monitoring and will be deliberating with the health team along with the administration what additional” public-health measures to take to try to address the spread.