If not for the ability to monitor for the presence of virus particles in wastewater, one might not realize that COVID-19 is trending upwards in Sheboygan once again.
The Sheboygan County Division of Public Health’s weekly COVID-19 summary shows 57 new cases reported to officials on each of these past two Fridays, with total cases now up to 35,017. More notably, a significant increase in the concentration of virus detected at the Sheboygan Wastewater Treatment Plant was measured compared to last week. Although on Friday, February 24th the level was already high, the trajectory indicated no cause for an alert. However by this Friday, March 3rd, the level reached “Very High” criteria and the trajectory showed a “Significant Increase”. Wastewater can indicate infection trends even when individuals don’t test or report positive results to authorities.
By the same token, measurements at Plymouth’s treatment facility that were “Moderate” last week declined to “Low” levels this Friday, and there is no trajectory alert. The CDC still considers the Community Activity Level in Sheboygan County overall to be “Low”, and so masking is an option entirely up to the individual, but anyone testing positive should mask up and self-isolate in accordance with CDC guidelines.
Current hospitalizations in Sheboygan County declined by three over the past week, to 6 patients now.
