Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that over half of the United States have reported "very high" levels of COVID-19 activity.
Using wastewater or sewage, the CDC tests the water to see if there are any traces of an infectious disease within a community, the government agency says.
Data collected on Aug. 9 by the CDC showed that 27 states have reported "very high" levels of wastewater viral activity nationwide.
Here are the overall numbers of the states and territories that have reported wastewater viral activity levels as of Aug. 9.
In addition during an interview on NPR, health officials from the CDC are now classifying COVID-19 as "endemic."
"At this point, COVID-19 can be described as endemic throughout the world," Aron Hall, the deputy director for science at the CDC's coronavirus and other respiratory viruses division, told the radio network.
