The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services last week issued a Health Advisory in relation to the emergence of the Delta (India) COVID-19 variant strain in the state.

Samples from 23 wastewater treatment facilities across the state revealed the presence of the Delta variant in 16 plants, including Mexico.

On Thursday the Audrain County Health Department reported that the genetic material discovered at the facility was not infectious. The ACHD also assured residents that drinking water was unaffected.

“Wastewater and drinking water are two completely different utilities that do not cross paths in the process of delivering them or removing them from or to the general public,” said environmental public health specialist Sarah Palmer. “The public drinking water in the City of Mexico is in no way compromised or at risk of being infected with COVID-19.”

Sewage surveillance sampling is being conducted in more than 50 community sewersheds across the state. Tracking the amount of genetic material in wastewater can provide early awareness of the virus in communities.

This data cannot tell the number of individuals currently infected with COVID-19 but can be useful in identifying trends and aid in public health prevention strategies.

“We will continue to monitor the wastewater treatment plant reports from the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services,” ACHD Administrator and CEO Craig Brace said. “This is a but another tool we can use in our toolbox that helps us to track and continue the fight against COVID-19.”

The state has seen an increase in the reported number of those affected by the variant. The highest proportion of Delta virus is detected in the southwest region of the state, which accounts for just over 67 percent of all Delta variants identified.

In Audrain County the seven day average of positive cases remains low.

Analysis of recent CDC data shows the top symptoms of the Delta variant infection are headache, followed by a runny nose and/or a sore throat. Fever and cough were less common and the loss of smell was not in the top 10.

Most cases were in young people who had not yet been vaccinated.

The variant appeared to be far more transmissible with every person infecting several others. Such findings also showed that infected persons may not perceive themselves as having COVID-19 symptoms.

As of mid-June 2021, the CDC estimates the Delta variant is accounting for 20 percent of new cases in the United States. The highest proportion of cases is in Health and Senior Services Region 7 (Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska), which comprised 34.8 percent of all variant viruses detected.

ACHD reports that no live viruses were found in the samples taken from tie city’s wastewater.

“These are remnants of the virus,” Palmer observed. “There is no danger to the public that they will become infected with COVID-19 if they come into contact with wastewater.”