Yarmouth Covid Wastewater Testing Results - Jan 18, 2023
Jan 18, 2023
Summary
In the six weeks since our last Yarmouth, Maine, COVID report on December 8, 2022, wastewater levels of SARS- CoV-2 were relatively stable with a slight fall during the holiday period.
COVID-19 cases rose slightly during the first four weeks and then rose sharply during the last two weeks when the greatest number of cases were reported since late October and early November 2022.
In light of the levels of SARS-CoV-2 in Yarmouth's wastewater during December and the first half of January, we are keeping the COVID-O-Meter at the Moderate level.
Yarmouth SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Wastewater Testing Results — Jan 18, 2023
The adjusted virus levels were 915 and 873 copies/mL in the two most recent wastewater samples (January 9–10 and January 11–12, respectively).
Viral levels for December 8 through January 12 fluctuated between 556 and 1,661 copies/mL. The overall trend was slightly downward during this period (Figure 1, Table 1).
December viral levels averaged 1,086 copies/mL, as compared to monthly averages of 1,240 copies/mL during September, 1,635 during October, and 777 during November. So far, January’s viral levels have averaged 1,109 copies/mL.
Yarmouth’s December viral levels were similar to those measured in Portland’s and Brunswick’s December wastewater samples. The trends during December for Brunswick’s, Portland’s East End Facility, and Portland’s Westbrook-Gorham Regional Facility were relatively flat.
In early January 2023, the highest state wastewater SARS-CoV-2 virus levels were in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, followed by Georgia, Idaho, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
COVID-19 Case Reports
Weekly cases of COVID-19 for Yarmouth—as reported by Maine CDC—ranged from 1 to 21 for September 4, 2022, through January 15, 2023, with 21 cases reported for January 2–8, and 12 cases for January 9–15 (Figure 2).
The two most recent case reports reflect the two highest weekly numbers of reported cases since late October and early November 2022, although they were not as high as the numbers of cases reported during May 2022, when 35 cases were reported for the week of May 9—15 (Figure 2).
Case counts are likely to be lower than the actual number of cases due to reduced testing and increased self-testing (home testing), which is not reported to Maine CDC.
We recommend that the Yarmouth Community continue to exercise caution:
Get vaccinated and boosted. Bivalent boosters with the original vaccine component and a new component based on the common variants currently circulating (i.e., BA.4 and BA.5) are available from Moderna and Pfizer.
Consider wearing a mask in indoor public places particularly if you are unvaccinated, 60 years of age or older, or immune compromised.
Avoid crowded indoor spaces.
When indoors, good ventilation (air exchange) is important.
Test with a rapid antigen test when gathering with friends and family who have been out and about, or if you will be spending time with people at higher risk.
If you have COVID, leave isolation only after you have a negative rapid antigen test.
Persons who are immune compromised due to medical conditions or medical treatments should take particular care, as should those around them.
Learn more about why we do wastewater testing and how it has recently changed at our Wastewater Testing page.
Yarmouth's wastewater testing program for SARS-CoV-2 is currently collecting and testing two 24 hour wastewater samples each week: the first is collected from 7 am Monday to 7 am Tuesday, and the second from 7am Wednesday to 7 am Thursday. Samples are sent to Biobot Analytics in Cambridge, Massachusetts for testing. The program is currently funded by the U.S. CDC.
The results of wastewater testing for Yarmouth and other locations in Maine are posted on the Maine CDC website.
An overview of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring in the United States with graphs of testing data for the U.S. and selected U.S. counties, including 14 counties in Maine, is available from Biobot.
We would like to thank Chris Cline and Yarmouth Wastewater Treatment Facility staff for collecting and submitting the wastewater samples twice a week and Steve Johnson, Yarmouth's Town Engineer, for overseeing the wastewater testing program.