Yarmouth Covid Wastewater Testing Results - Dec 8, 2022
Dec 8, 2022
Yarmouth SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Wastewater Testing Results — Dec 8, 2022
The adjusted virus levels were 1,912 and 851 copies/mL in the two most recent wastewater samples (December 5–6 and December 7–8).
Viral levels for November 1 through December 8 fluctuated between 353 and 1,912 copies/mL. The overall trend was slightly upward during this period (Figure 1, Table 1).
November viral levels averaged 777 copies/mL, as compared to monthly averages of 1,096 copies/mL during August, 1,240 copies/mL during September, and 1,635 during October.
Yarmouth’s November viral levels were similar those measured in Portland’s and Brunswick’s November wastewater samples. The trends during November for Brunswick’s, Portland’s East End Facility, and Portland’s Westbrook-Gorham Regional Facility were relatively flat.
In late November and early December, the highest state wastewater SARS-CoV-2 virus levels were in Maine, Massachusetts, and Utah, followed by the other New England States, Iowa, Oregon, Puerto Rico, and Wyoming.
Weekly cases of COVID-19 for Yarmouth—as reported by Maine CDC—ranged from 2 to 18 for August through December 4, 2022, with 2 cases reported for November 21–27 and 7 cases for November 28– December 4. These 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.
In light of the levels of SARS-CoV-2 in Yarmouth's wastewater during November and early December, we are keeping the COVID-O-Meter at the Moderate level.
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.