COVID levels rising in SLO County, wastewater monitoring shows
COVID-19 levels have been on the rise in San Luis Obispo County through the summer months, a trend that mirrors what’s happening in other areas of California.
SLO County data shows an increased presence of the COVID-19 virus in wastewater samples starting around last month in Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, the South County, Los Osos and Cambria. The most drastic spike was found in the city of San Luis Obispo.
Public health officer Penny Borenstein confirmed that COVID-19 levels have increased since June. Borenstein added that the tendency for COVID measurements to spike during the summer months isn’t new.
“We have for the last several years, or since COVID been around, seen increases in the amount of COVID that is present in the community in the summertime,” Borenstein said.
Borenstein also noted that the county no longer has the ability to accurately count individual cases since most people test from home now and don’t report positives to the county. She said it’s important to be “careful” when understanding the amount of COVID actually present.
“We really rely on our wastewater surveillance, and with that, we have been seeing an uptick in the presence of the COVID virus in the wastewater treatment system, with some being higher than others,” Borenstein said.
Wastewater monitoring shows community-level trends over time and can capture the presence of the virus before clinical cases are reported. Wastewater detections also offer a non-biased way to collect COVID samples and allow the county to measure average levels over time.
Other California cities have surged in COVID-19 cases in the summer months.
On July 5, Mercury News reported that San Jose data indicated record high levels of COVID in wastewater measurements. The article also mentioned that across the East Bay, COVID levels have risen as more people contract the virus.
Borenstein said it’s unclear why cases surge in the summer months. She said that historically, COVID rates tend to be even higher in August than July.
Some health experts have attributed the spikes to indoor congregating due to hot weather, and therefore increased transmission. Travel and social gatherings during summer vacation months could also be to blame.
“Of course, I continue to strongly recommend vaccination,” Borenstein said.
Visit SLO County’s COVID-19 resources for more information on staying safe at slocounty.ca.gov/covid-19.
