ARKANSAS, USA — According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Arkansas wastewater tests in June 2024 indicate a large increase in coronavirus traces.
A chart on the CDC website showed a detection rating of .98 for SARS-COV-2, a type of coronavirus, around June 8, and a detection rating of 11.3 three weeks later.
That is an 1153% increase.
Wastewater, commonly called sewage, "can be tested to detect traces of infectious diseases circulating in a community, even if people don’t have symptoms," according to the CDC. "You can use this data as an early warning that levels of infections may be increasing or decreasing in your community."
The highest recorded level of SARS-COV-2 topped out at 18.6 on the week ending on Jan. 6, 2024.
The CDC also says that two of Arkansas's seven wastewater testing sites have less than six months of data, which can lead to "larger week-to-week changes in wastewater viral activity levels."
You can learn more about the testing on the CDC website here.
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