Respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV) is tested in Butte County’s wastewater. Earlier this month cases were increasing, but now the Butte County Department of Public Health says they’re starting to decline.
In an email response to NSPR last week, Lisa Almaguer, public information officer for the department, said the county is starting to see a decrease of the virus detected in wastewater in the county.
“This follows the trends seen in the state and nationally that show a decline in RSV cases,” Almaguer wrote.
Regional and local wastewater is monitored for the presence of viruses like the ones causing RSV, and COVID-19.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the state’s wastewater shows a rate of COVID-19 viral activity that’s “very high.”
If rates of COVID-19 were to rise in Butte County, Almaguer said local hospitals are much more prepared than they were in 2020.
“I don't have a crystal ball,” Almaguer said earlier this month, “but we likely will not see increases like we did at the start of the pandemic, when there were a lot of unknowns.”
Still, the county recommends residents take precautions like hand-washing, masking in high-risk areas, and getting vaccinated to prevent the spread of infection.