Wastewater COVID-19 levels falling across Minnesota

Coronavirus ranges in sewage samples have declined over the previous week throughout Minnesota, together with on the Metropolitan Wastewater Remedy Plant in St. Paul the place the viral load dropped 12%.

Friday’s wastewater knowledge displays the third straight summertime drop in COVID-19 exercise as Minnesotans spend extra time outside the place viral transmission dangers are decrease. Viral ranges declined in all six reporting areas this week, primarily based on sewage sampling at 40 further remedy vegetation accounting for 67% of the state’s inhabitants, in keeping with the College of Minnesota.

Sewage sampling is taken into account a dependable measure of the pandemic as a result of it is not influenced by whether or not persons are looking for COVID-19 exams or not. Proper now, it’s matching COVID-19 case developments in Minnesota, the place the seven-day common of latest infections has declined from 2,100 per day in mid-Might to lower than 1,500 per day.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Minnesota dipped again under 400 to 393 on Thursday, and solely included 31 individuals requiring intensive care due to respiratory issues or issues from their infections.

Well being officers are hopeful that declines in infections and viral ranges will pull down the variety of COVID-19 deaths — with the state averaging about 5 to 6 per day and reporting one other 4 on Friday. Dangers have been highest this spring amongst Minnesota seniors, who’ve accounted for 88% of the 208 COVID-19 deaths reported because the begin of Might. Minnesota’s whole depend of COVID-19 deaths is now 12,744.

Minnesota noticed a rise on Thursday from 5 to 9 counties the place the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention recommends indoor mask-wearing due to a mix of excessive an infection and COVID-19 hospitalization charges. Nonetheless, a number of the new high-risk counties equivalent to Large Stone, Pope and Traverse in western Minnesota are smaller and are more likely to see fluctuations in danger designations from week to week.

The Twin Cities metro space is listed at low to reasonable COVID-19 danger this week.

The viral load on the St. Paul wastewater plant is at its lowest since mid-April. Two fast-spreading BA.4 and BA.5 coronavirus variants made up 43% of the viral materials present in wastewater, although — a rise from 32% every week earlier.

Well being officers stay involved concerning the potential for these variants to spark elevated COVID-19 exercise, although they produced decrease charges of extreme sickness than different variants once they have been first found in South Africa.