No surprise, says HBDHB.
For the first time, in samples collected the week ending 22 January, Hastings’ samples have detected Covid.
Napier samples also detected Covid in the past week, after two weeks of ‘Not Detected’ (Napier samples collected the week ending 1 Jan had previously detected Covid).
A spokesperson for HBDHB attributed the Hastings result as likely from the “known cluster in Hastings”, while the Napier result was “Due to Kennedy Park and the quarantine facility there – no surprises.” A calm voice … no mention of Omicron yet.
Our wastewater is sampled regularly for signs of the Covid virus, with weekly updates reported on the website of ESR, a Crown Research Institute.
What does ‘Detection’ mean?
In the words of ESR:
“A positive detection in the wastewater indicates that at least one person has been shedding SARS-CoV-2 into the wastewater in the 24 hours before each sample was collected. Just as a negative finding does not necessarily guarantee an absence of COVID-19 in the community, it should be noted that a positive finding does not necessarily mean that active COVID-19 infections are present in the community. A positive detection in the wastewater could also be due to a case in a managed isolation facility and/or a non-infectious historical case or a non-infectious recently recovered case who is still shedding low levels of SARS-CoV-2.”
And further:
“Wastewater testing can tell us someone in the network shedding virus, but not specifically where or who is shedding the virus, or the exact number of people who have contributed to a positive detection. Shedding levels can vary significantly between individuals and at different stages in an infection and not every infected person may shed the virus.”
Any bets on next week’s results?