Sewer Monitoring, positive tests confirm COVID-19 transmission in Daggett County
Vernal, UT Nov. 23, 2020 – Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Sewer Monitoring, is showing that Daggett County has COVID-19 present in the population of Manila and Dutch John. Monitoring sewers for COVID-19 gives an indication of trends regarding viral activity in the community.
In July, TriCounty Health Department (TCHD) put out a news release on detection of COVID-19 in the Daggett County area. The current detection is far greater than the detection in July. Dutch John Sewage monitoring jumped from 39 million gene copies (MGC) as reported in late July to 717 MGC on November 12 and 232 MGC on November 19. Manila, where the COVID-19 virus has remained relatively undetectable in the sewer system until now, is reporting 34 MGC on November 12 and 19 MGC on November 19.
As of Nov. 23, 2020, there are a total of three Daggett County confirmed cases of COVID-19, one of which has recovered. Data presented by DEQ coupled with the recent increase in reported infections all point to increased localized viral activity in Daggett County. As such, TCHD recommends that Daggett County residents adhere to the practices of limiting group sizes, practicing physical distancing with members not of your household, wearing a mask when in public and when physical distancing is not feasible, and practicing good hand hygiene such as washing or sanitizing hands.
“With limited access to healthcare, the actions of county residents is critical to protecting and preserving the health of each resident living in Daggett County,” TriCounty Health Officer, Jordan Mathis emphasized. “Our purpose in sharing these trends is to allow residents to take preemptive action in slowing the spread of COVID-19.”
Testing is an important component of slowing the transmission of COVID-19. Testing not only helps individuals determine what measures they need to take to avoid further transmission to family, friends, and coworkers, but it also aids in determining the broader community risk. Testing offered through testutah.com is now open to anyone who desires a test, regardless of exposure or symptoms.
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TriCounty Health, Serving For Health