Record Day COVID-19 Positivity 12/3; SARS-CoV-2 Copies in Wastewater

04 Dec Record Day COVID-19 Positivity 12/3; SARS-CoV-2 Copies in Wastewater

Record single day COVID-19 positivity on 12/3 and SARS-CoV-2 copies in wastewater. Thirty-one new cases reported to Public Health as wastewater detection of COVID-19 doubles.

For more information surrounding the COVID Safety Concern Form, visit here.

For up-to-date coronavirus information, visit here.

For more information surrounding the state’s COVID-19 dial, visit here.

Grace Franklin, County Public Health Director.

San Miguel County Public Health is reporting the highest single day total for new positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Today’s positives total 31 with an additional 5 reporting from yesterday bringing the total COVID cases among residents to date to 242.

Additionally, wastewater treatment numbers have doubled week-over-week with 1,640,490 copies of SARS-CoV-2 per liter detected in this week’s tests. This is also a record number for wastewater COVID detection since testing and analysis began in early September. Wastewater surveillance is expected to lead diagnostic tests by a week given what is known about viral dynamics in individuals and fecal shedding. For reference, county positives were relatively low in September when wastewater samples were detecting tens of thousands of COVID copies.

With today’s record spike in positive cases and wastewater copies exceeding 1.5 million, Public Health is closely monitoring regional COVID data and will release an analysis of diagnostic testing in comparison to wastewater numbers in the coming weeks.

“The facts are clear. The spread of COVID is not slowing and this virus is radically persistent,” said Public Health Director Grace Franklin. “These next two weeks are critical. Stay home. We need to work together now by not gathering or being with others indoors. We risk losing community members and local businesses. I, again, implore our residents to change how we are looking at this virus.”

In response to community input surrounding regulation of Level Red: Severe Risk protocol, Public Health has established a COVID Safety Concern Form to enable Public Health to better monitor compliance with measures such as the necessary use of face masks, proper physical distance in public spaces and guidance for various industries such as restaurants and retail. The form can be found on the San Miguel County COVID page in both English and Spanish.

Public Health has confirmed thirty-six new positive cases of COVID-19 from test results received from December 2 through December 3. Of these cases, 28 are residents and all actively contagious cases are currently in isolation. There have been 242 total COVID cases among residents to date with 35 active cases. To learn more about the County’s current COVID-19 metrics, please visit the County COVID-19 dashboard.

• 80-year-old male, nonresident, symptomatic, community
• 78-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, community
• 76-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, community
• 74-year-old female, nonresident, symptomatic, community
• 73-year-old, nonresident, symptomatic, community
• 63-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, community
• 62-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, community
• 58-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, community
• 52-year-old male, nonresident, symptomatic, community
• 51-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, community
• 46-year-old male, nonresident, symptomatic, social
• 43-year-old male, resident, asymptomatic, social
• 42-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, community
• 39-year-old female, resident, asymptomatic, social
• 38-year-old female, nonresident, asymptomatic, household
• 38-year-old female, nonresident, symptomatic, community
• 37-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, community
• 37-year-old male, resident, asymptomatic, social
• 36-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, household
• 35-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, household
• 35-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, workplace
• 35-year-old male, nonresident, asymptomatic, travel
• 33-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, social
• 31-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, household
• 30-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, community
• 29-year-old female, resident symptomatic, community
• 27-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, household
• 27-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, community
• 26-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, community
• 26-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, community
• 25-year-old female, resident, asymptomatic, household
• 24-year-old female, resident, asymptomatic, travel
• 17-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, household
• 15-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, household
• 11-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, travel
• 9-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, household

San Miguel County will continue posting caseload updates twice a week. The next update will be published on Friday, December 4.

Five Commitments of Containment:

Wear a mask
Maintain six feet of physical distance
Minimize group size
Wash hands frequently
Stay home when sick and get tested