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IMPORTANT The US CDC has announced that, going forward, reported SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels will be normalized to an endemic baseline "Zero" on this baseline will be levels in the previous year @evanblake17.bsky.social @benjaminmateus.bsky.social

What this means is that the level of SARS-CoV-2 virus circulating in the environment will be reported as the difference between current readings & the readings of a year ago If January of 2024 the reading was 1,000 and in January 2025 it's also 1,000, wastewater levels will be reported as 0 (zero)

It is difficult to fathom just how cynical this is It's a bureaucratic admission that not only do we need to live with a constant and very high amount of SARS-CoV-2 virus around us but that this constant and very high amount will represent "normal."

The first chart here are SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels from 2022 to present prior to baseline normalization The second chart is the same thing but just for 2024 The third is a (predicted) chart for 2025 assuming wastewater levels in 2025 are similar to 2024 Much less scary, eh? That's the intent

Any idea why COVID spread is predicted to be so low in 2025? Did vax rates go up while I wasn’t looking?