ESCANABA — Both the amount of detectable DNA from the virus responsible for COVID-19 in Escanaba’s sewer water have dropped since early-January highs, but infection rates are still high with an average of four new cases identified every day last week in Delta County.

According to the Sentinel Wastewater Epidemiology Evaluation Project (SWEEP), the last sample, dated for Jan. 22, contained more viral DNA than 28% of all samples collected by the Escanaba Wastewater Treatments Plant since the city began participating in the project in August of 2021. The 28% sample follows an even lower sample on Jan. 20, when a sample was collected that contained more DNA than only 2% of samples.

The 2% sample marks a sharp drop from the sample it followed — a 58th percentile sample from Jan. 15 — which could suggest a sampling or recording error. However, the city saw a similar sample on Jan. 8 that contained more DNA than only 9% of samples. That sample was sandwiched between a 49th percentile sample on Jan. 13 and a 41st percentile sample on Jan. 6.

When taken as a whole, the amount of detectable DNA has dropped in January even if the outlying low-DNA samples are excluded. The month started with a sample from Jan. 2 in the 73rd percentile, fell to more middling percentiles for most of the month (between the 41st and 58th percentile) and settled with the Jan. 22 sample at the 28th percentile.

While it is not possible to directly calculate the number of infections in any given area based off the amount of detectable DNA in sewer water, the drop seen in January has correlated with a drop in cases identified in healthcare settings by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in Delta County. Forty-eight new cases of the disease were identified the week of Jan. 4, which fell to 44 cases the weeks of Jan. 11 and Jan. 18, and 36 cases the week of Jan. 25.

Last week, the week of Feb. 1, 34 cases were identified in Delta County, or roughly 4 a day on average. If the two data sets continue to trend in sync, the amount of DNA identified by SWEEP will likely be lower in the next reported samples.

Still, January has been difficult for Delta County and the Upper Peninsula as a whole due to the severity of cases. Since the beginning of the year, five U.P. residents have died of the virus, with two of those cases being in Delta County. Three of the deaths, including one Delta County death, took place the week of Jan. 25, according to MDHHS.

One of the deaths the week of Jan. 25 — a death in Dickinson County — was added to MDHHS’ totals after the last report on the virus’ activity by the Daily Press. No new deaths have been noted thus far in the peninsula for the week of Feb. 1.

For the week of Feb. 1, the number of cases identified by MDHHS in the Upper Peninsula are as follows:

Gogebic – 18

Ontonagon – 1

Houghton – 6

Keweenaw – 0

Iron – 4

Baraga – 1

Dickinson – 22

Marquette – 25

Menominee – 9

Delta – 34

Alger – 3

Schoolcraft – 3

Luce – 0

Mackinac – 1

Chippewa – 10

The number of total deaths in the peninsula that had been reported since the beginning of 2025 as of Thursday was five. Those deaths took place in the following counties:

Gogebic – 1

Dickinson – 1

Delta – 2

Chippewa – 1