How wastewater data became a crucial tool during the COVID pandemic
Wastewater data and the number of COVID cases provided early warnings to health experts, helped prevent hospital surges, and opened the door to monitoring other respiratory viruses circulating in the community. Look at more health data for Santa Clara County.
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This dashboard provided a comparison of the 7-day average of COVID cases compared to the 7-day average concentration of COVID in wastewater. It demonstrated how wastewater data was a more accurate mechanism to monitor the level of COVID transmission in the community as laboratory-based COVID testing declined, and other, more convenient testing took place, such as home-based rapid antigen tests.
The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department provides an overview of COVID concentration in wastewater samples collected at wastewater treatment facilities that serve people in Santa Clara County. Four wastewater treatment facilities receive wastewater from designated geographic areas, known as "sewersheds", within Santa Clara County. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID. A case is considered someone who tests positive for COVID using viral testing performed in a lab. It is reported by the date that a sample was collected for COVID testing.
