LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Levels of COVID-19 in wastewater samples in Nevada are on the rise, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nevada is one of seven states that, according to the report released Wednesday, has "very high" levels of COVID-19 in its wastewater.
In fact, the report shows that wastewater viral activity for the COVID-19 virus in Nevada is now twice what it was found to be mid-June.
"Our surveillance is very clear," says Dr. Anil Mangla, who serves as the director of disease surveillance and control for the Southern Nevada Health District. "We're seeing it in wastewater and we have other surveillance systems that we monitor and we're seeing a similar kind of trend there, too."
The other states where the CDC has detected the biggest spikes in COVID-19 detection in wastewater include Oregon, Texas, California, Arkansas, Maryland and Florida.
Part of the reason for the increase, Mangla said, is that Southern Nevada has been experiencing a hotter-than-normal summer. Earlier this month, the all-time Las Vegas record temperature of 117 was shattered when the official temp in the city reached 120 degrees.
When it's as hot as it's been lately, Mangla said people tend to stay indoors, and that can help with the spread of viruses like COVID-19.
"Who's out in the outdoors right now?" Mangla asked, rhetorically. "Nobody is outside. Everybody's indoors, congregated, close to one another."
So far, numbers haven't shown a huge increase in hospitalizations in Southern Nevada, but a University Medical Center spokeswoman tells Channel 13 that, as of Thursday afternoon, 13 people were hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
As we've all been told over the course of the past few years after the onset of the coronavirus in the United States in early 2020, Mangla said there are a few habits that can help a person steer clear of COVID-19:
- When indoors, if possible, make sure air is moving. When ventilation is poor, viruses like COVID can spread more easily.
- Keep good hand hygiene. Like your mother told you, wash your hands often.
- Make sure you have the latest vaccine protections.
