FLORIDA, USA — According to the latest batch of data, counties in Florida are finally beginning to see drops in COVID-19 levels for the first time after a steady rise for most of the summer months which peaked shortly before Labor Day.
COVID-19 test results are rarely recorded or reported in Florida and nationwide, especially compared to where they were at the height of the pandemic. Aside from hospitalization reports, wastewater surveillance data has proved a useful tool for measuring how concentrated and widespread the virus is by county.
Biobot Analytics compiles data measuring the number of copies of the coronavirus per milliliter of wastewater by individual counties and by the nationwide average.
Over the past two weeks, wastewater surveillance data has shown a slight dip in the nationwide average of viral concentration. Most Florida counties are reflecting that decrease, with some counties experiencing steeper drops than others.
For example, COVID levels in Pinellas County recently measured at 602 virus copies/mL of wastewater, a level that closely reflects the nationwide average of 607 copies/mL but also represents a sharp drop from the county's pre-Labor Day peak of 1,035 copies/mL.
Multiple other counties followed a similar trajectory: an August peak followed by a recent drop to levels in line with the nationwide average. These include Miami-Dade County, which rose to 760 copies/mL in early August and dropped to 610 copies/mL last week, and Seminole County which went from 1,209 copies/mL in late August to 694 last week.
Alachua, Orange, and Leon counties remain well above the nationwide average, but all three have seen levels decrease from their August highs. There is no current data available for Hillsborough County levels as there has been no new wastewater surveillance data gathered from the county since July 19.
The data appears to suggest that immunity to the latest variants of the coronavirus could steadily be building as more people are either exposed to the virus, vaccinated, or both. Reports of the existing variants have stated that while they are more easily transmissible than past versions of COVID-19, they have not typically led to more severe infections or complications, and the updated vaccine booster has proved effective at protecting against them.