Trending
The Maui News
Wastewater testing shows that COVID-19 cases have declined since early June and that the omicron subvariant BA.5 is the dominant strain of the virus in Hawaii, according to the state Department of Health.
"Data from wastewater testing aligns with other data sets," State Laboratories Division Administrator Edward Desmond said in a news release Tuesday.
"Results from COVID-19 tests taken by individuals show case counts have dropped since June. This is consistent with data in the Wastewater Report which shows concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 have declined since June. Genome sequencing shows BA.5 is the most common subvariant in Hawaii. The Wastewater Report also supports that finding."
Wastewater surveillance is another tool used to monitor COVID-19 levels in the community. It can help alert officials to a shift in trends or the presence of new variants.
The state's wastewater report, released Thursday, provides a summary of surveillance done as part of the National Wastewater Surveillance System. DOH coordinates collection of samples from 15 wastewater treatment plants across the state. The samples are analyzed by Biobot Analytics as part of the national system at no cost to Hawaii, according to DOH. Biobot Analytics now provides test results about a week after samples are collected.
"The State Laboratories Division continues to develop its own COVID-19 wastewater surveillance capabilities. Our staff is performing longitudinal validation of our own protocols by comparing results of our wastewater analysis with results of Biobot's analysis," Desmond said. "The fast, cost-free analysis provided by Biobot gives us desired information and affords our staff time to work toward wastewater testing for other pathogens."
The State Laboratories Division will publish a wastewater report every two weeks on the DOH data reports page at health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/covid-19-data-reports/.