Burlington has documented a major increase of Covid-19 RNA in wastewater systems, prompting Mayor Miro Weinberger to call on residents to “cease social gatherings” to avoid spreading the Covid-19 virus.
The readings from Wednesday night are the city’s first since Thanksgiving. They show the highest coronavirus levels in the city’s Covid-19 wastewater detection system since it went online in September.
The monitoring system found more than 600,000 Covid-19 genomes per liter of wastewater. That sample is triple the amount recorded for the last peak after Halloween, which found under 200,000 Covid-19 genomes per liter of wastewater.
The Covid-19 wastewater detection system can identify the virus in a population three to seven days before it can be found through tests on individuals.
In a press release, Weinberger said the city’s sewer plants will continue testing during the next few days to confirm the readings.
“I hope that all Burlingtonians will look at this graph and see what I see: a call to action,” Weinberger stated in the release.
“We must remember that it’s in our collective power to bring this surge back down,” he said. “We need everyone to cease social gatherings outside of your household and to get tested if you have participated in a social gathering over the last week.”
Gov. Phil Scott banned multi-household mingling prior to Thanksgiving, in an effort to avoid a rise in Covid-19 cases the holiday might bring. Nevertheless, cases have continued to rise, with 178 new cases reported Thursday, 23 Vermonters currently hospitalized and four in the ICU.
Chittenden County leads the state in case counts: 344 in the last two weeks. The county recorded 64 positive cases Thursday — its highest one-day positive case count yet.
That has prompted Burlington to expand its testing capabilities. Pop-up testing will open in Burlington’s Old North End on Dec. 11 and Dec. 18. A testing site has been opened at Burlington City Arts on Pine Street that will remain operating for the rest of this month, seven days a week.
Weinberger said while a vaccine is coming to the state soon, for the time being, residents need to remain vigilant.
“Though these numbers suggest that the weeks ahead may be tough ones, the vaccine coming means that there’s a light at the end of this tunnel,” Weinberger stated in the release. “This pandemic won’t last forever — but we need to come together for a final push to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors.”
