Officials at Orange County Utilities shared that they have found traces of the Omicron variant in the county’s wastewater in preliminary tests. The results have been sent off for verification.
Wastewater tests seeking coronavirus RNA have been used as a sort of warning system for are used to detect coming surges in coronavirus. Obvious spikes in the amount of coronavirus RNA can sound the alarm ahead of other indicators, thanks to the virus’ long gestation period.
“A preliminary test for the Omicron variant has been developed for wastewater and is in beta-testing until fully validated by the lab analyzing the samples. Initial results indicate that the omicron variant has been detected in Orange County in the South Water Reclamation Facility and the Northwest Water Reclamation Facility,” the utility shared in a statement. Again, these are our preliminary findings. We are expecting more definitive results on Wednesday.”
Orange County has been taking part in wastewater testing since the early days of the pandemic.
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This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2021.