 Thanks for joining us on short notice. For approximately the last month, the city has added to its wastewater testing program an additional capacity. Not only have we been attempting to measure the levels of COVID-19 discharge in the wastewater and gauging how much virus is circulating in the community, since mid-January we've also been testing for the presence of variants of COVID-19 with all the increased attention and concern about the possibility of new variants emerging in this community that are more contagious. We've added that to the protocols and we had a briefing yesterday where we confirmed what was true at the time that we had not yet seen any indication in the wastewater of these variants. We've been signaling four weeks that we know that these variants are nearby and they were likely to get here soon and in fact last night when the results came in there was an indication that we have detected mutations associated with the UK variant of COVID-19. We notified the Department of Health of that and as you as members of the media here may have seen that the Department of Health has also put out just now a press release indicating what they the steps they are now taking with with as a result of this confirmed finding. So what's what's the significance of this? What does it mean for Borlintonians? You know again this is something that we anticipated would happen and now it has it's it's a it's a concern it does indicate a new stage of the pandemic here in Vermont where now we've joined 34 other states that have found this variant circulating in within the state. By identifying the variant early while there appears to be very low levels of the new variant circulating within Borlinton we have an opportunity together to heighten our community vigilance and slow the spread of this more contagious virus in the critical weeks ahead. We're in we're in this critical period here where every week more and more of the highly vulnerable members of our community to this virus are getting vaccinated. These are key weeks here by acting together using the strategies that we have talked about so many times over the last year. We can slow the spread of this more contagious variant and keep the very positive trends of reduced virus levels under control and and headed in the in the right direction. In some sense it is more important than ever given the heightened contagiousness of this variant that we practice those good good public health practices. I've asked Brian Lowe who's our COVID-19 leader and chief innovation officer and who was really one of the architects of this wastewater program be here as well and but really we that that's the news. I think we are here mostly to answer any questions that that you might have about that and we'll try to add what additional information we have. Great so for members of the media who are here uh you can let me know that you have a question either by using the raise hand function in zoom or by sending me an email and I'll try to come up with some ordered queue uh based on those two systems. All right and it looks like the first question is from Catherine at WCIX and Catherine you should be able to enable your microphone. Hi can you hear me? Yes hi Catherine. Hi thanks so much for taking my question. I was just wondering if you were able to find out exactly which neighborhoods this was present. I know it's in a very low level so it might be difficult but I mean anything on that? Go ahead Brian. We detected it in the city's main wastewater plant which is a broad service area across the city. It includes the south end the downtown parts of the hill section and the old north end so a kind of wide catchment area and we can't protect with any more specificity where within that watershed it is. And is there any idea of the number of people that could potentially have this? I mean is it in the you know 50 to 100 range or is there any idea? It's a great question Catherine and one of the challenges with the wastewater testing is that it's very hard to extrapolate from the readings to a specific case count. Really what the wastewater is most helpful in showing is both that we have it or likely we have this B117 variant and it'll help us over time see the trend of how prevalent it is relative to the other and wild type coronavirus. Right now because we picked it up it basically closed our limit of detection. It appears to be a very limited number of people in the community that would have it. Great thank you. Great next question is from Courtney at Seven Days. Courtney you should be able to enable your microphone. Hi can you hear me? Yes go ahead Courtney. Thanks I'm just curious with this new variant it's said to be more contagious. Is there anything different that Burlingtonians need to do to protect themselves more than before? The CDC I think recently as C'mon said you should wear two masks you know just kind of thinking how could how could people be more careful or is it the same kind of guidance? Great Courtney. The basic guidance for folks is to keep doing the practices that Burmonters have done very well over over the last year. There has we we have putting in for several weeks now been putting some extra emphasis on the quality of the masks or double masking as the CDC came out with guidance on last night it does seem that that's something we do encourage and in fact in our news conference yesterday we we have actually procured some an additional 3,000 high quality masks for essential workers here in Burlington people who are are exposed if you don't think if you don't have a high quality mask and need one and certainly if you're an essential worker we are encouraging people to get in touch that's probably the biggest area where there's some new guidance to offer really there's there is a belief that the public health measures that have worked to keep the virus in check in the past are still operative now people just need to be particularly vigilant and focused on on carrying them out you want to add anything to that Brian? I think that's right Mary I really think it's mass quality matters now and making sure you have a good mask when you at outside making sure that your parents if they're in town your neighbors have access to the quality mask. Thanks and I do have another question if that's okay. The the states both press releases from the city and the state kind of say that this isn't this won't be considered a definitive finding until more sequencing is done and so can you speak to that a little bit of how long that will take and I mean it seems like we can accurately report that it's I don't know likely here just I'm wondering if you could catch that a little bit. Why don't you take that one Brad? Sure I hear kind of two questions in there I want to try and answer them both so but please redirect me Courtney if I don't answer them clearly the on the first the genomic sequencing that the state does I believe takes several days at least and maybe a week or longer. VDH would be in a better position to give you an exact timeline on how long that takes. The other challenge is that they would have to look in this kind of broad catchment area at confirmed cases and then find the confirmed case or cases that are in fact that have these mutations so it could be a while before they identify both because of the process and then because of the number of cases that they have to check through. The other question you know how likely is it that this variant is here the reason that we are reporting this news is that these two different mutations on two different proteins in the coronavirus both of those mutations being present at the same time is highly indicative of the B117 variant. Great thank you. Great and it looks like that is all the questions that we have for members of the media. Maybe any final takers you can use the raise hand function. All right it looks like we're all set. Excellent thank you for joining us. Brian thank you for helping get this information out quickly and I think we just to close again to Brolin-tonians again I really see this not as a cause for undue alarm but as important information for you to have and another just reminder as we move through these critical months February March into the spring later in the spring as we expect really the older populations to be fully vaccinated. This is the presence very likely presence of mutation is even more reason for us to follow the public health guidance to follow the governors or to very careful avoid gatherings with other households to get tested if you think there's any reason you could have been exposed we have outstanding testing resources here in the community right now there's plenty of lots of opportunities to get tests if you need it use a high quality mask let's just stay strong continue to hold together through these critical weeks this is yet another reminder of the importance of doing that thank you everyone we'll see you soon