COVID-19 Levels Increase 600% In Orange County’s Sewage: Report

ORANGE COUNTY, FL — Based on levels of COVID-19 found in a Central Florida wastewater system, the virus’ surge in the state is far from over.

Since mid-May, Orange County has seen a 600 percent increase of COVID-19 RNA found in the wastewater, WESH reported. Local officials, including Mayor Jerry Demings, called this high concentration of the virus “very concerning.”

"The results of the virus RNA that we measure in the wastewater indicate that we will see continued clinical cases and hospitalizations this week," Ed Torres, the county’s utility director, said, according to the news outlet.

Experts say that sampling bathroom wastewater can predict where coronavirus outbreaks will occur.

“You will see the virus in the wastewater seven to 10 days before people develop symptoms, so it’s a leading indicator, which can be very useful in alerting county health departments that an outbreak is on the way,” Dr. Ian Pepper, an environmental science professor who is part of a national program that analyzes wastewater for the presence of COVID-19, told News4Jax.

Across the country, health officials and researchers have been analyzing sewage as a tool for tracking pandemic hotspots.

In Davis, California, after an increase in viral load was detected in wastewater in July, local officials sent out text message alerts encouraging residents get tested, CNN reported.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been awarding grants to community wastewater treatment plants to participate in its COVID-19 detection program since last fall, reports said.