GAYLORD — Testing done on samples at the Gaylord wastewater treatment plant indicate the potential for a coming wave of COVID-19 cases.
The Health Department of Northwest Michigan (HDNW) has been doing wastewater surveillance since 2021.
“We are taking samples from 19 different sites in our district (which is comprised of Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties),” said Dan Thorell, health officer for HDNW.
Samples retrieved on Dec. 14 at the City of Gaylord wastewater plant revealed a spike in SARS-CoV-2 gene copies. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. People infected with SARS-CoV-2 can shed the virus in their feces even if they don’t have symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We had a pretty large spike in the (SARS-CoV-2) gene copies and it tells us on a community level Covid cases will likely increase,” Thorell said.
While the lab only tests for COVID-19, the results support what HDNW and other healthcare professionals have been concerned about since last fall and that is a “triple threat” of COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and influenza hitting the populace at one time.
“We know that influenza and Covid are increasing. As people gather for the holidays they are usually indoors and respiratory illnesses have increased at this time for quite awhile,” Thorell said.
In a statement, Dr. Joshua Meyerson, HDNW medical director, said “When we see indicators like this, we encourage people to consider different ways to reduce their risk of becoming infected and transmitting the virus to others.
“Getting vaccinated with the new bivalent booster, staying home when sick, masking while in crowded indoor settings, hand washing, and using social distancing can all help. While we all want to enjoy our holiday gatherings, there are ways we can do so that bring little inconvenience or disruption. In the long run, remaining healthy is what makes our holiday events the most enjoyable.”
SubscribeCheck out our offers and read the local news that matters to you
If you would like to set up COVID-19 testing, call (800) 432-4121 or schedule online. The HDNW mobile clinic will be testing at Home Depot in Gaylord from 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27 and at Office Max in Petoskey from 8:15-12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported 14,323 COVID-19 cases over the last week, an average of 2,046 cases per day. There also were 149 new reported deaths in the last week.
Michigan now has a total of 2.97 million cases and 40,657 deaths due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, as of Dec. 20. This includes both confirmed and probable cases.
— Contact reporter Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.
