Coronavirus levels rising in R.I. wastewater – The Boston Globe

Its telling us that COVID has not left us, said Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, a public health advocate and host of Nuestra Salud on Latina 100.3 FM. Its still with us, and the new variants are definitely creating a spike in new infections.

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The coronavirus is spreading more than many people realize, he said. These days, fewer people are getting tested and those who do often take the tests at home and dont share the results with the Department of Health, he said.

So at this point, the best measure is to watch the wastewater, Rodriguez said. Hospital admissions are the next shoe to drop.

Joseph Wendelken, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, said, Over the last few weeks, we have seen increases across all our metrics, including wastewater. Our modeling anticipated a small increase around this time, a few weeks after Thanksgiving, and as people are having holiday gatherings.

Rhode Islands COVID-19 data will not be updated this week. Data will be updated again on Jan. 4.

But according to the most recent data, Wendelken said, the increase is similar to those seen over the last few years in Rhode Island at this time. The states hospital admission level remains in the low tier, and the wastewater levels remain lower than where they were at this time last year, he noted.

Still, Wendelken said, This is a reminder that people need to be taking prevention measures, especially this time of year.

The Department of Health recommends:

Rodriguez emphasized that anyone with symptoms should get tested immediately.

That is the most important thing, he said. I see people coughing they should not go out unless they have tested themselves and made sure its not COVID. If its a cold, its a cold. But you should not assume that, Oh, this doesnt seem like COVID. If you have any cold or flu symptoms, you should get tested.

The good news, Rodriguez said, is that many more people have immunity now, compared to when the pandemic began. He estimated that 90 percent of people have been previously infected or vaccinated. So we have that, as much as herd immunity is going to help, he said.

But the new, highly contagious COVID-19 variant, called JN.1, makes previous vaccinations ineffective, Rodriguez said.

So, he urged those older than 65 and those with immune deficiencies and chronic conditions to get the latest vaccine. The vaccine will not prevent you from getting COVID, he said, but it will help prevent you from dying or being hospitalized or getting post-COVID syndrome.

The bad news, Rodriguez said, is that just 15 percent of Rhode Island residents have received the latest vaccine booster.

Thats down from the nearly 50 percent uptake for the first booster shot in 2021 and 25 percent for the bivalent booster at this time last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Across the country, vaccination rates are so low for influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 that the CDC has issued a health advisory warning the situation could lead to more severe illnesses and overburdened hospitals in the weeks ahead.

In Massachusetts, the amount of the virus found in wastewater levels has roughly doubled since Thanksgiving and hospital admissions are up in several counties. The amount of COVID-19 in wastewater across the city of Boston rose by 23 percent over two weeks.

Though the latest version of booster shots confers broad protection against a new, highly contagious variant that is expected to gain dominance in the coming weeks, just 17 percent of Massachusetts residents have received it, according to the latest numbers from the Department of Public Health.

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.

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Coronavirus levels rising in R.I. wastewater - The Boston Globe