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It’s Wednesday, August 21.
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Good morning, readers.
Four years ago today, I woke up feeling lousy and drove to a Walgreens in South Durham to get tested for COVID for the first time.
That was the era when most testing was being done curbside: when you’d roll your car window down and a nice volunteer would come swab your nose in a manner that may have conjured what you learned about ancient Egyptian mummification in elementary school.
Testing for COVID these days with at-home kits is certainly a lot easier. But as Jeffrey Jenks, the medical director of the Durham County Department of Public Health, noted in an interview with the INDY last week, since most people aren’t getting PCR tests and official diagnoses anymore, it’s tough for the government to track case rates.
As an alternative, Jenks says, experts are using proxy data—namely, data from wastewater treatment plants—to gauge the prevalence of the virus in certain areas.
The most recent data entries into North Carolina’s wastewater monitoring dashboard are a bit startling. This month in Durham, the virus was detected at record-high levels. Wastewater data from other parts of the Triangle also show recent spikes.
“The good news is, despite a lot of virus being detected in wastewater, we’re not seeing a huge increase in emergency department visits and hospitalizations,” Jenks says. “That speaks to the fact that a lot of people have gotten COVID previously, sometimes multiple times, and a lot of people have gotten vaccines and/or boosters, so there’s just a lot of built-up immunity. People are getting COVID, but they’re not getting as sick.”
The updated COVID vaccine will be available within the next four to six weeks.
Have a good Wednesday.
—Lena
Durham
Mayor Leo Williams is the Bull City’s ringmaster, but corralling people under his big tent remains a challenge.
Wake
Despite pushback from some prominent Democrats, the Wake county Democratic Party released its endorsements in local nonpartisan races, including Raleigh City Council races, this week.
The planned Smoky Hollow Park in downtown Raleigh has secured an $8.7 million grant from the National Parks Service.
Juvenile crime is a growing issue in Raleigh.
Orange
The NC Board of Elections decided to allow UNC-Chapel Hill students to use their digital IDs to vote this fall.
Chapel Hill Transit is celebrating its 50-year anniversary.
North Carolina
Cornel West and his Justice for All Party will officially appear on NC voters’ ballots. Read more about third party candidates.
Today’s weather
Partly cloudy with a high of 79 degrees.
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