The latest daily measurements for the research conducted by the Sewage Epidemiology Team of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with EYATH, in collaboration with the Region of Central Macedonia and within the National EYD Network, show a slow de-escalation in the concentration of viral load of municipal waste in Thessaloniki.
As shown in the charts presented by APE-MPE, the downward trend that began to be recorded from November 26 onwards is confirmed. In the samples from Monday, the viral load of the sewage is measured at the level of November 5, when the current wave of the pandemic started, with the viral load reaching a high level in all periods since the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 on November 25, 2021.
Specifically, in the samples taken daily at the entrance of the Thessaloniki Wastewater Treatment Plant, regarding the rationalized values of relative viral load secretion, the average value of the two most recent measurements, ie Monday 06/12 and Tuesday 07/12 is:
Marginally reduced (-15%) in relation to the average value of the two immediately preceding measurements, Saturday 04/12 and Sunday 05/12.
Reduced (-26%) compared to the average price of the previous Monday 29/11 and Tuesday 30/11.
“We are seeing a slow de-escalation that goes hand in hand with the laboratory-confirmed cases in the city. In yesterday (8/12) daily report of epidemiological surveillance of EODY, the average cases of the last 7 days are 779 cases, when the corresponding average in the report of December 1 was 952 cases. Of course, this does not negate the fact that there is still a very high level of virus spread in the community and even if the indicators continue to improve, it will take several weeks to capture the image of hospitals and the hard indicators of the pandemic, ie deaths and intubation. That is why the strict observance of the measures of prevention and self-protection from the exposure to the virus remains extremely critical “, said to APE-MPE the rector of AUTh and scientifically responsible for the research project, Professor Nikos Papaioannou.
“What does the low dispersion in the university community show about vaccinations”
Mr. Papaioannou noted that the trend of de-escalation seen in the sewage is confirmed even by the epidemiological surveillance in the university community of AUTh, where the number of new cases was significantly reduced in the week 29 / 11-5 / 12/2021, with the average per section to be less than 3 cases.
The limited dispersion in the university community, as explained by the Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, is related to the very high rate of vaccination coverage among students, teaching and administrative staff, and “is important as many students who have come from other cities will return to their families. for the Christmas holidays “. “If the vaccination coverage was the same for the entire population of the city, the hospitals would not have the pressure they face today. “That’s why the most encouraging thing remains the increase in vaccinations in recent days.”
“How many were asymptomatic at the peak of the pandemic wave”
The model of the AUTh Sewage Epidemiology Team after the rationalization of the measurements showed that at the peak of the current wave of the pandemic, the undeclared cases – mainly asymptomatic carriers – reached almost twice as many as laboratory confirmed.
“This number is about half of last November, which means that the spread in the current wave of the pandemic is much smaller than when there were no vaccines,” said the professor of Chemistry at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thodoris Karapantsios. “Based on the sewage at the peak of the current wave, the total number of infected people, who have an increased chance of transmitting the infection – a virus load at + -30% of the maximum load – is about 24,000 people. For the wider area of Thessaloniki, this corresponds to about 3% of the population “, the professor explained.
The coronavirus assessment methodology in municipal waste, developed by the AUTh team, streamlines the measurements of the virus genome concentration based on 24 environmental factors, which may alter the results of the measurements
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