Pueblo city launches COVID-19 alert system to warn Pueblo people of high levels of COVID-19 in their neighborhood

PUEBLO, Colorado (KKTV) – The city of Pueblo is launching a COVID-19 alert system to alert residents of high levels of COVID-19 in their neighborhoods.

Mayor Nick Gradisar made the announcement early Wednesday morning. This system would advise residents to get tested for the virus when the Pueblo Wastewater Department reports extreme levels of COVID-19 in the wastewater.

When these extreme levels are in one of the seven basins of the Department of Wastewater, a recorded voice message and a text message will be sent to residents in the affected area. He will tell residents to watch their symptoms and get tested for COVID-19 immediately.

Here is a map of the distribution of areas in Pueblo:

Even though the number of cases appears to be declining in Pueblo County, Mayor Nick Gradisar says the system is a preventative measure to slow the spread of the virus.

“We can take preventative action to slow the spread of the virus by using the sewage data and then alerting Puebloans when there is evidence of high levels of the virus in their neighborhood. If we see a spike and more people are tested, they will be able to know if they are positive or negative sooner and this is essential to keep the number of Pueblo cases under control, ”Gradisar said according to a press release.

This alert system was put in place to encourage Puebloans to get tested for the virus before they start seeing virus spikes, and will give health officials information on how the virus is moving through the area. community.

This system is expected to identify areas of Pueblo that will have significantly increasing or decreasing cases approximately five to seven days before symptoms start.

The state is working with laboratories and utilities in sewage treatment to test COVID-19 virus particles in sewage. The virus can show up in human waste before someone shows symptoms. People who do not have symptoms can also shed the virus. Wastewater testing can give health officials early warnings of increases or decreases in COVID-19 cases within a community.

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