Houston’s channel analysis shows that the COVID version in the UK is spreading rapidly, one week after the lifting of the Texas mask mandate

The Houston Department of Health has made an alarming breakthrough in the city’s sewer system. According to NBC News affiliate KPRC-TV, wastewater samples collected in Houston last month showed that the variant of coronavirus first discovered in the United Kingdom is spreading rapidly. The variant was reportedly found at 31 of the city’s 39 wastewater treatment plants on February 22 – two weeks earlier, it was found at only 21 of the plants. The discovery was announced a week after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he intended to end the state’s masked mandate and push all companies to reopen completely. “The prevalence of the UK variant in our wastewater shows that it is actively spreading in our city,” said David Persse, medical director for Houston. “This is another clear indication that we must continue to hide, practice social distancing, wash our hands, be tested and vaccinated when possible.”