Vermont Business Magazine The City of Burlington is now using its wastewater surveillance system to regularly screen for SarsCov2 mutations associated with the Omicron variant at all three municipal wastewater samples. In the first samples taken on Dec. 5 and 6 at each wastewater plant, mutations associated with Omicron were not detected, a strong indication that the Omicron variant had not spread to Burlington as of those dates. The latest tests indicate that Delta continues to be the dominant strain of the COVID-19 virus locally. The next set of weekly results are expected by Thursday, December 16.
“While the significance of the Omicron variant is still not clear, we are watching closely for its arrival here. In the meantime, I continue to urge Burlingtonians to consider taking extra precautions as they return to holiday celebrations this year, especially if traveling or spending time with vulnerable loved ones. Your efforts are having an impact as Burlington has consistently had one of the lowest transmission rates in the state and relative stability in infection levels throughout the long regional surge in cases that started in August,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger.
Chittenden County continues to experience one of the lowest case rates in the state, though at a transmission rate that is still considered to be “high” by CDC standards. Chittenden County currently has highest vaccination rate statewide with 90 percent of all residents over five years old having received at least one dose.
The City’s current COVID-19 recommendations include:
- If you are not vaccinated, you should get vaccinated.
- If you are 16+ and it has been over six months since you became fully vaccinated with a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or 2 months since you became fully vaccinated with a Janssen vaccine, you can and should get a free vaccine booster.
- If you are the parent or guardian of a child 5 to 11 years old who has not been vaccinated, you should know the vaccine is safe for children.
- If you travel, host guests, or attend large gatherings, get a COVID test, before and after, either through the State testing program or by purchasing a rapid test from a local pharmacy.
- Trust and act on the science that asymptomatic transmission by vaccinated individuals is very rare.
- Wear a mask in indoor public spaces regardless of your vaccination status.
- Improve ventilation when gathering indoors.
Burlington’s wastewater surveillance testing has become an important tool for monitoring the pandemic and other illnesses.
The City’s wastewater testing surveillance program was recently featured in a published case study conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The effort is a multi-agency, private-public partnership with the Vermont Department of Health, GoAigua Inc., GT Molecular LLC, University of Vermont, and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
Launched in August 2020, the initiative is based off evidence that those infected with COVID-19 shed traces of the virus in their stool, and these traces can be detected five to seven days ahead of clinical testing. With a two-day turnaround time from collection to results, the wastewater surveillance system buys the City vital time to take preventative measures like adding testing locations and communicating risk levels to the public. Though the wastewater surveillance system cannot specifically identify COVID-19 variants, it is able to pick out mutations associated with a particular variant. This feature was especially beneficial when mutations of the COVID-19 Alpha variant were detected in City wastewater four weeks before presence of the variant was confirmed by testing.
This fall, the City also began testing wastewater for non-COVID viruses including influenza A&B and RSV. Though a few positive detections have been made in the City’s East wastewater plant, the levels appear to be low at this time.
Source: 12.13.2021. Burlington, VT – Office of Mayor Miro Weinberger