Wastewater tests confirm trend

THE latest wastewater test results from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research appear to confirm what daily case numbers have suggested: that Covid19 is on the wane in Otago and Southland.

Of the 11 testing sites in the South, six showed a declining rate of Covid19 at that location, four were neutral and Alexandra was the sole place where levels of Covid detected in the water were on the rise.

At all three Dunedin testing sites, wastewater detection rates had dropped below reported cases.

Rates in Balclutha, Invercargill and Bluff remained ahead of case numbers, although the gap between the two measurements had closed markedly.

Queenstown, Wanaka and Cromwell had similar results, but Alexandra reported a slight rise in its wastewater Covid rate.

Nationally, the number of reported cases dipped below the disease prevalence suggested by wastewater testing for the first time in a month.

‘‘Compared to a month ago, 21% of sites show an increase and 65% of sites a decrease,’’ the ESR report said.

‘‘Overall, SARSCoV2 levels in wastewater have plateaued but there are sitespecific increases and decreases.’’

Nationally, a further 3387 new cases of Covid19 were reported yesterday, 235 of which were in Otago and Southland.

The southern cases, while up slightly on Sunday’s 177 cases, were still 46 down from last Monday.

The Ministry of Health reported that 12 more people had died who were Covidpositive at the time of their death. One of those was from southern.

The number of people in hospital in the South who had Covid19 dropped from 24 to 16 yesterday, although that figure did not include rural hospitals.