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Cleveland health officials warn COVID spike is coming
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CLEVELAND (WJW) — Cleveland Department of Public Health officials said a sharp uptick in COVID gene copies recently detected in city wastewater samples indicates a 'strong likelihood of increased community spread in the coming days or weeks.'
Sampling last week of untreated wastewater from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District's Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant shows a more than 250% increase in the SARS-CoV-2 viral levels between June 8 and June 10, according to a Friday news release from the health department.
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The sampling also showed high levels of influenza that are still 'trending upward' as well as high levels of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be shed through feces — even by people who aren't yet showing symptoms of infection — so wastewater sampling can help detect community spread early.
'Increasing viral concentrations in wastewater are often a leading indicator of future spikes in illness, hospitalizations and transmission throughout the community,' Cleveland Director of Public Health Dr. David Margoulis is quoted in the release. 'This data provides us with an early warning system, and we're encouraging residents and institutions to take preventive steps now.'
The health department urges residents to get their shots or boosters for COVID-19 and the flu and urges people who are experiencing respiratory symptoms to stay home or wear a mask if they need to go out in public.
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The World Health Organization is tracking a new COVID-19 variant called NB.1.8.1, or 'Nimbus' that is more transmissible than other variants, The Hill reported this week.
Its symptoms appear to be similar to those caused by other COVID variants: cough, fever, fatigue, muscle aches and loss of smell or taste, according to the CDC.
As of Wednesday, June 11, the Nimbus variant had been found in 13 states, including Ohio.
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