Sources: Maryland Department of Health, Maryland COVID-19 Data Dashboard Anne Arundel County Department of Health, Internal Data
Download the Viral Respiratory Dashboard User Guide.
The Department of Health, in partnership with the County’s Department of Public Works, monitors all seven of the county operated wastewater treatment plants in the county for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), Influenza A and B, and RSV. People infected with these viruses can shed the virus in their feces. It can be detected in community wastewater, or sewage. Wastewater surveillance measures the presence of these viruses in people with and without symptoms.
This is another tool we can use to help monitor COVID-19, flu, and RSV spread in Anne Arundel County. Wastewater surveillance does not depend on people having access to healthcare, people seeking healthcare when sick, or the availability of testing. Monitoring wastewater can provide an early indicator of viral spread in communities.
Wastewater samples are collected twice a week from the treatment plants in the county, which are sent to the CDC for testing as part of their National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS). The wastewater activity levels are determined based on the CDC’s methodology.
Community Hospital Admission Level
The COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level measures the impact COVID-19 is having on health and healthcare systems. A risk level can be low, medium, or high. COVID-19 Hospital Admission Levels are determined Friday morning for each county in the United States.
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