Although the official case count has risen only slightly, wastewater data indicates that COVID-19 is running rampant now that University of Georgia students are back in town.
The seven-day running average of new daily cases stood at 35 on Aug. 24, when the Georgia Department of Health last updated its data, but was trending upward. It was 31 on Aug. 17 and 26 on Aug. 10.
However, measurements of viral loads in Athens wastewater by UGA College of Public Health professor Erin Lipp’s lab show that the official statistics aren’t capturing the virus’s spread. Viral loads last week were higher than 94% of all previous samples and the highest since January, when the Omicron wave was cresting, and Athens was seeing upwards of 200 cases per day.
“Because of the widespread use of rapid tests, wastewater levels are likely a better reflection of transmission in our area,” according to Lipp’s latest report.
The August spike should come as no surprise. It’s repeating the pattern from 2020 and 2021, when waves of COVID hit Athens at the start of fall semester and the end of winter break.
Even though COVID cases are being vastly undercounted, the officials numbers were still enough to put Clarke County back in the CDC’s high transmission category, meaning the local mask mandate is back in effect. During periods of high transmission, masks are required in all local government buildings, on Athens Transit, and in any private business that hasn’t posted a sign opting out of the law.
Thanks to 14 new intensive care beds—up from 72 to 86—local hospitals are not under stress from the latest wave even though 68 of those beds are occupied. Overall, hospitals in the 10-county region are 81% occupied, with 44 of 603 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The virus killed one Clarke County resident last week, bringing the total to 234.
UGA no longer records or reports COVID cases among students, faculty and staff. At the Clarke County School District, there had been 585 cases this month as of Aug. 26. CCSD reported 508 cases during August 2021.
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