ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Coronavirus levels found in Orange County’s wastewater have increased dramatically since the start of summer, according to Orange County Utilities.

As of Sept. 9, the county’s water reclamation facility serving the Apopka area saw a 542% increase over the amount of virus found there in June.

The county is tracking concentrations of the coronavirus in its wastewater as a part of the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS), a program created to help experts better understand how COVID-19 spreads in communities. Virus levels found in wastewater may help officials predict when infection spikes may occur in a community several days ahead of time, according to a press release sent by OCU Monday.

“A massive percentage of what we’re seeing (in the wastewater) is the delta variant,” said Sarah Lux, a spokesperson for OCU. Lux confirmed that there are currently no lambda or mu variants have been detected in the county.

At Orange County’s Monday coronavirus briefing — the 155th since the pandemic began — officials expressed a sense of cautious optimism about infection rates, which have recently started trending downward. Yet Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the county’s 13.3% rolling 14-day positivity rate is “still high,” and that he wants more residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

In Orange County, 71% of residents have received at least one coronavirus vaccine. So far, Erika Argueta and her three kids aren’t a part of that statistic — but that’ll change soon, she says. The whole family recently contracted coronavirus.

“I want the kids to be able to fight against it, as well as myself,” said Argueta, who got tested along with her kids Monday at Barnett Park.

She said out of the whole family, she felt the worst symptoms — but her children were symptomatic, too. They now need a negative test result before they can return to school.

At first, Argueta said she’d been waiting to see how the vaccine would affect people. But now, she thinks she’s seen enough to decide to get vaccinated.

“One thing that I have noticed is that the people who have been vaccinated, (it) doesn't necessarily mean that they're not gonna catch it, but ... the symptoms are a lot less,” Argueta said. “It’s the fact that you already have it in your body, that [you’re] able to fight off what you get.”

She says she hopes everyone in Orange County will continue wearing masks and being careful, even as cases tick downward.

“Still be cautious, still be thoughtful of the next person, too,” Argueta said.

You can check where Orange County is offering free coronavirus tests and vaccines by visiting the county's COVID-19 website. 

Molly Duerig is a Report for America corps member who is covering Affordable Housing for Spectrum News 13. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.