The carefully watched Boston-area COVID wastewater tracker has revealed a “very positive change” in latest days as virus sewage information began to take a downward flip.
Meanwhile, state well being officers on Tuesday reported 2,693 new COVID instances, one other drop in infections whereas virus hospitalizations ticked up.
The predictive wastewater tracker had lately proven a spike again to excessive January ranges because the omicron BA.2 variant, together with a subvariant recognized as BA.2.12.1, unfold throughout the area. But within the final week, the south-of-Boston COVID wastewater common has dropped 31%, and the north-of-Boston common has gone down 19%.
The wastewater downturn “could be the beginning of the end” of this spring wave if this development continues, stated Davidson Hamer, a Boston University School of Public Health infectious illnesses specialist.
“I see this as a very positive change especially since it also looks like the number of confirmed and reported COVID-19 cases has decreased in the last few days,” he added. “As long as there is no post-commencement surge in cases given all the recent graduation activities across the state, we could have this small wave gradually subside and have a relatively worry-free June ahead.”
Matthew Fox, a Boston University School of Public Health epidemiology professor, known as the wastewater drop a “positive sign and not a very surprising one.”
“Omicron is very intense so waves tend to be shorter and larger, but we had a feeling this one would be shorter and a less intense wave than previous ones because of the built up immunity,” Fox stated. “We don’t know for sure that the wave will start to end soon but the wastewater data has been pretty reliable so far, so I’m optimistic.”
In Tuesday’s COVID report, the state Department of Public Health reported 2,693 COVID instances, a 21% lower from 3,425 infections recorded final Tuesday.
The state’s common % positivity is now 8.58%, down from the speed of 9.12% final week.
State well being officers reported 33 COVID deaths, bringing the state’s complete recorded demise toll to twenty,533. The 33 new deaths are from Saturday via Monday. The every day common of COVID deaths is now eight. The demise charge had been a lot greater after omicron hospitalizations surged.
After COVID hospitalizations ticked up by 28 sufferers, the state’s general affected person depend is now 835 sufferers. Hospitalizations have been rising after a number of weeks of elevated instances.
There at the moment are 79 coronavirus sufferers in intensive care models, and 39 sufferers are intubated throughout the state.
In the state’s weekly breakthrough report, the state reported 16,791 breakthrough infections final week — an 11% lower from the 18,820 totally vaccinated instances within the prior report.
There was a one-week enhance of 201 totally vaxxed sufferers, down from the earlier weekly enhance of 241 totally vaxxed sufferers. The state additionally reported a one-week enhance of 49 deaths, just like the 47 deaths within the earlier week.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”