Omicron variant detected in Altamonte Springs wastewater, city says

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - The omicron variant of COVID-19 is in Altamonte Springs, officials confirmed Saturday.

The city's manager, Frank Martz, said that the variant was detected in the Altamonte Sewer Service Area. He said the sample was taken on Thursday.

Martz also said the delta variant of coronavirus was also present and is still the dominant variant.

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In a statement to FOX 35, Martz said, "The value of the Altamonte Springs COVID-19 Predictive Model is that we can detect virus spikes and Variants sometimes as much as a week before the people who are infected with the variants develop symptoms and get tested at a hospital. No cases have been reported at local hospitals so far as I know."

The City of Altamonte Springs has been testing the sewage since April 2020 and has one of the largest collections of samples in the United States, according to Martz.

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