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An increased SARS-CoV-2 viral load was detected in the wastewater – and the trend is rising. According to a doctor, however, there is no reason to panic.
Munich – The next vacation is just around the corner, but then your nose starts running – a situation that many people will be familiar with this summer. According to current weekly report of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) around 4.1 million people in Germany are currently affected by an acute respiratory disease. According to this, the number of infections is at a comparatively high level. The results of the wastewater monitoring offer little cause for hope.
Currently, more and more people are infected with the coronavirus. (Symbolic image) © Philip Dulian/dpa
According to information from the Infection radar of the Federal Ministry of Health The SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater has increased over the past four weeks. The RKI data confirms this: While the corona numbers have been rising at a “low level” for two months, the viral load in wastewater has been increasing continuously since mid-May.
After wastewater monitoring: Doctor comments on corona numbers – “like an annoying summer flu”
According to wastewater monitoring, the corona virus is still there. Berlin family doctor Peter Karsten also knows this. He told the broadcaster ARD He says that there are currently more patients with respiratory problems in his practice, around 20 percent of whom are corona-positive. For him, however, this is no reason for concern. “Covid is currently like an annoying summer flu, with symptoms of coughing and a little fever,” says the family doctor.
How does wastewater monitoring work?
The samples taken are examined in specialised laboratories for physical, chemical and biological parameters. The results are then documented and reported to the relevant authorities to check compliance with legal limits. If these are exceeded, measures must be taken to improve water quality in order to protect human health and the environment.
Those: Robert Koch Institute (RKI)
He continues: “But the danger that this Illness yes, in the first one or two years, fortunately it has almost completely disappeared.” He is right about that for now. The viral load in wastewater was last at a record high at the end of 2023. Although wastewater monitoring showed higher values than during the pandemic, the big corona wave did not occur over the winter. However, the new corona variant KP.3 could change the situation again.
Wastewater monitoring shows: Corona numbers are rising – just a harmless summer flu, or not?
But why do people tend to feel sick for longer this summer? “This is certainly due to the fact that when many pathogens are active at the same time, you can get not just one infection, but several infections one after the other,” virologist Martin Stürmer explains to the broadcaster. If that is the case, it simply takes longer to get fit again. Regardless of whether it is corona or not: recovering is important and should not be underestimated.
The corona numbers in Germany are rising again. This is shown, among other things, by the wastewater monitoring, for which the viral load in the wastewater is regularly measured. © Stephanie Pilick/dpa
What many people forget: Various over-the-counter medicines only relieve cold and flu symptoms instead of fighting the virus. In fact, there is only one group of drugs that fights the root of the problem. (cln)
