ORLANDO, Fla. — Wastewater data categorizes Orange County as having a high concentration of COVID-19.

The county tracks viruses on WastewaterSCAN, which shows the Hamlin, Eastern, and Northwest Water Reclamation Facilities have a high concentration of SARS-CoV-2. South Water Reclamation Facility has a medium concentration.

Orange County is one of a few places in Florida that still tracks COVID-19 in wastewater. That means technicians take samples of sewage water to find viruses and bacteria in fecal matter.

The concentration of COVID-19 measured in the sewage is still much lower than previous years, despite being listed as high.

Internal and primary care physician Dr. Aftab Khan sees a lot fewer COVID-19 cases at his clinic in Davenport nowadays.

He says it makes sense that Orange County would have a high concentration of COVID-19 compared to other areas.

“Orange County is unique in a sense that we have a high density of population living here, second it is a hotspot for tourism, people are coming from all over the world,” he said.

There’s been a little more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19 recorded in Orange County so far this year, which is much lower than previous years, showing cases are still trending down.

So why are wastewater samples showing a high concentration?

“Wastewater gives you the real picture but it doesn’t mean people are testing themselves or seeking medical treatment,” said Khan.

He explains that COVID-19 looks a lot different than it used to and people may think what they have is a common cold, when in reality it can be the current strain of COVID-19.

“COVID cases are mild now, they’re flu-like symptoms, sore throat, fatigue, fever, little bit of shortness of breath, asthma-like symptoms,” he said. “Nothing like we saw in the past, and that’s because of immunity we developed over the years, from vaccination and from infection and also we know that viruses, they mutate and the current variance is not as strong.”

He says the high concentration in the wastewater is not necessarily a cause for concern, but of course, you should still take a test if you feel symptoms of COVID-19.