SEE COVID

SEE TREES

area are down by about half their record peak from last winter. The reason has to do with the difference in how the wastewater and clinical tests are conducted.

“We use wastewater surveillance to supplement our human clinical testing,” said Rachel Jervis, an epidemiologist at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “It’s really complementary information to give us more data about COVID in a particular community.”

About 50% of people who catch COVID will “shed (the) COVID virus in their stool,” regardless if they have symptoms, according to Jervis, meaning it can be an early indicator for how much the virus is spreading in an area.

But unlike a clinical test such as a nasal swab or saliva sample, wastewater testing can’t show how many people are currently infected.

“We’re really just looking at the volume of the genetic material of COVID,” Jervis said. “We’re not able to link it to an individual person and so we can’t use it to align the case data.”

Some of South Platte’s waste samples fi nd their way to Carol Wilusz, a professor and researcher at Colorado State University, whose lab has been testing wastewater for COVID twice a week since August 2020.

Wilusz and her team begin by fi ltering the sample in order to isolate the viral material before extracting its RNA data. Then, through an enzymatic process, they are able to turn the RNA into DNA.

After this, they test the DNA using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the virus’s genetic material and how much of it there is. This produces a copy number, similar to a viral load, that can be used to gauge how present COVID is in the wastewater.

The data is then sent to CDPHE and, along with data from other labs and testing facilities, is published on their dashboard.

An advantage of wastewater testing, Wilusz said, is that it is involuntary as opposed to clinical testing, which may show a skewed picture based on who is choosing, and not choosing, to get tested.

“Testing of wastewater is completely unbiased, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican or rich or poor,” she said. “Regardless of who or where you are, you’re getting tested in an unbiased fashion.”

Since the end of October, viral copies in wastewater collected by South Platte have hovered at around 300,000 per liter, shooting past last winter’s COVID peak, when copies per liter were 263,000.

This comes as clinical cases from tests in the area have sharply decreased to well under 100,000 per day, a case count comparable to summer 2020.

Wilusz said it appears that COVID is more prevalent in the area than it was last year but thanks to climbing vaccination rates and the return of masking policies, fewer people may be getting sick and feeling the need to test.

Still, Jervis, the epidemiologist at CDPHE, urged more people to get tested routinely and said clinical testing remains a crucial tool in the fi ght against COVID.

“While we use wastewater data to understand trends, wastewater data can’t be used for any individual to make behavioral choices,” she said. “And so the only way to know whether you could have COVID and could be exposing your family and friends is if you get tested.”

Blair Corning, deputy director of environmental programs at South Platte Renew, stands on one of the plant’s clarifi ers. Since the onset of COVID, the facility has been sampling wastewater and sending it o for testing. PHOTOS BY ROBERT TANN

Stacey Walker, a laboratory services manager at South Platte Renew, bottles a sample of wastewater.

Go to tinyurl.com/cdphedata and scroll down to select “South Platte” to view data on wastewater and clinical tests on CDPHE’s dashboard.

To advertise your place of worship in this section,

Serving the southeast Denver call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email area eaddenbrooke@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

Castle Rock/Franktown WORLD MISSION CHURCH (KOREAN CHURCH)

7249 E. Park Dr. Franktown, CO TIME: 10:30 PM PHONE: 303-688-1004

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Greenwood Village

Congregation Beth Shalom Parker

Sunday Services - 10:00 a.m. Meditation before service - 9:30 a.m. Cimarron Middle School

12130 Canterberry Pkwy, Parker, CO 80138 www.CSLParker.org • (303) 805-9890

Advertise Here! Advertise Here!

ThunderRidge shows why it’s top-ranked

Hoops team wins 78-62 over Eaglecrest with balanced scoring

BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Defending state Class 5A state basketball champions and topranked ThunderRidge knocked off another high-profi le opponent on Dec. 14 in the Grizzlies gym.

Coach Joe Ortiz’s Highlands Ranch team got balanced scoring and downed eighth-ranked Centennial-area Eaglecrest, 78-62.

ThunderRidge, atop the Dec. 13 CHSAANow 5A state rankings. is now 4-0 this season which includes wins over No. 3 Fossil Ridge and No. 6 Smoky Hill.

ThunderRidge still has nonleague games remaining against George Washington, Valor Christian, No.7 Cherry Creek, Fairview, Broomfi eld and Ralston Valley before heading into the Continental League which has No. 2 Rock Canyon, No. 4 Chaparral, No. 10 Douglas County and rival Mountain Vista, all Douglas County schools.

“We’ve always had that kind of schedule,” said Ortiz, whose teams have gone 145-32 over the past seven seasons. “Then RPI came out and you wanted that kind of schedule. From year to year teams go up and down but we’ve always tried to keep that kind of schedule, play teams in the Centennial League. We want to play athletic teams because that’s going to prepare you but we’re just happy to be playing this year.

“It’s been a tough schedule but it’s not going to get easier in the league. Teams will be ready to play us. You have to guard against letdowns. That’s a position you want to be, you want to have a target on your back. But it sucks too.”

Eaglecrest made 13 3-point baskets in the game to keep the score close for three quarters, but the Raptors had no answer for ThunderRidge’s balanced scoring. The Grizzlies went on a 17-3 run early in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Andrew Crawford, a 6-foot-5 forward, scored 19 points including eight of the Grizzlies’ fi rst 10 points.

“I thought Crawford had a breakout game,” said Ortiz. “He’s a sophomore, he’s showed promise and done good things but in a bigger environment he had some really big takes against big-time players. I thought that was his blowout game.”

Jackson Brennan, a 6-3 senior, had 16 points, senior Thomas Walkowisk added 14 points, 6-9 senior Zach Keller had 13 points and 6-8 Joey Bilello fi nished with 10 points.

“Jackson has been so steady,” added Ortiz. “Zach is obviously the guy and Joey’s been right there with him. We have a pretty good core.”

The balanced scoring is nothing new.

“That’s been the case with our better teams.” Ortiz continued. “We’ll have balanced scoring at the end of the season, I would think. Different guys might have big games.

“Eaglecrest shot the ball well. You have to give them credit how they shot on the road. They are dangerous.”

Senior Mostapha El Moutaouakkil had a game-high 24 points for Eaglecrest.

The Grizzlies entertained George Washington (3-2) on Dec. 21 and Ortiz will borrow words from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and former Army, Indiana and Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight to avoid a letdown.

“I heard Coach K and he felt that there’s no question how hard the games are that you are suppose to win,” said Ortiz. “I totally feel that. Then it goes to Bobby Knight ... big game and next game is a letdown.

“The kids will get up for the big games. Some of my more colorful, intense halftime speeches have been against lesser teams because I fear for a letdown. Out kids are resilient and they are pretty good.”