Based on its data, Louisvilles department of public health and wellness knows that 3% of Louisvilles population is infected with COVID-19 right now. But wastewater samples in the city indicate that the number of infected citizens might be double that in areas with low vaccination rates.
Doubling that means 6%, or six out of every 100 people in a room would test positive. Thats one of every 15 people that you see is positive for COVID, said Dr. Sarah Moyer, Louisvilles public health director, in a news release.
Wastewater data shows that there are extremely high levels of COVID-19 in these communities, and Moyer is urging their residents to get tested:
- Shawnee
- Fern Creek/Cedar Creek
- Newberg/Heritage Creek
- Fairdale
Its clear from our wastewater data that COVID is everywhere. We are seeing levels 10 times higher than at the peak of the delta wave in August, Moyer said. We know from the wastewater as well that omicron has virtually replaced delta and is now the main variant in our community sewage samples.
Last week, Moyer warned that Louisvilles hospitals would soon be overrun by patients based on hospitalization data. This week, the city reported that Louisville has hit a record for hospitalizations: 413 people have been hospitalized this month, compared to 399 in December 2020.
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This article appears in January 5, 2022.