TriCounty Health Officer Jordan Mathis provided a COVID-19 update on Tuesday during the Give’m Health segment on Eagle Country 105.5 FM KLCY. Mathis explained that an exciting new study is providing another resource in surveillance of COVID-19 in the state of Utah. A team of universities in the state performed a pilot study to see if they could find coronavirus in sewage discharge in treatment plants across the state. They took 171 samples across 10 treatment plants and found that all had the coronavirus at different levels. The study was very promising as it was able to detect the increase in the Cache Valley through the sewage. “What that means is if we continue to monitor the sewage we may be able to detect the viral load in the community even before the individuals go and get tested and we have the lab confirmation,” shared Mathis. “It’s another tool that gives us surveillance to see what the virus is doing.” The health departments across the state have submitted a letter to the Governor asking to expand the study to more treatment plants. For this area that would include the sewage treatment plants in Vernal and Roosevelt. There has been an increase in COVID-19 cases in the tri-county area this month. The Tuesday Situational Update on www.tricountyhealth.com shows that the confirmed total of cases in Uintah County has reached 20 with 10 Recovered, total cases in Duchesne County is at 10 with 9 Recovered, and zero cases in both Daggett County and the Ute Indian Tribe. The estimated number of tests conducted in the tri-county area is reported at 4,387. For state information on COVID-19, visit www.coronavirus.utah.gov.
