**US Adopts Wastewater Monitoring to Track Covid-19 Spread**

Amid changing strategies in the fight against Covid-19, the United States has shifted its focus from closely tracking individual new infections to monitoring the virus through wastewater analysis. By scrutinizing the contents of Americans’ wastewater, US health officials can identify virus levels and observe larger trends in the population.

This new approach hinges on a vast network of sampling sites located at wastewater treatment facilities nationwide, overseen by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This extensive monitoring system currently covers roughly 43% of the population. Although it does not provide exact case numbers, the analysis offers crucial early warnings about the spread of the virus.

Despite variances in readings caused by factors such as sewage flow rates and specific variant characteristics, the CDC finds this method effective for tracking viral levels. CNN keeps the public informed by updating these figures weekly, based on state and national trends provided by the CDC.

By anonymizing the data, samples collected from these sites present a large-scale view of viral activity across the United States. This approach not only aids in monitoring Covid-19 but also helps local public health agencies track other infectious diseases, including RSV and mpox.

The CDC reports the percentage change in viral levels within each 15-day collection period for various locations. More densely populated states generally host a higher number of testing sites. The data, represented in a map, shows differing levels of viral activity, with some sites noting increases while others report declines.