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Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels
ZIONSVILLE, IN – Recent testing programs examining the effectiveness of wastewater testing for detecting COVID-19 outbreaks have yielded important insights into how this testing method can be used to improve public health, including providing an early indicator of infection that can be used to trigger warnings and recommendations.
How to Bring COVID-19 Wastewater Monitoring in the Field was hosted by 120Water and included experts from 120Water, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Water Research Foundation, and Ohio Department of Health.
The main findings of the discussion include:
- Wastewater surveillance has been shown to be effective in identifying the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, which is shed by people infected with COVID-19, and may eventually be able to provide an early diagnosis for this and others. diseases to support health decision making.
- The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has six ongoing trials and one completed trial that looked at the best methods for assessing the COVID-19 genetic signal in wastewater. “One of the goals of this research is to go from a point where we not only reactively detect and inform, but are able to perform early detection through wastewater surveillance,” said Christobel Ferguson, Chief Innovation Officer. by WRF. “More research is needed to establish a definitive correlation between the clinical status of communities and the genetic signal for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. However, even in the absence of this information, wastewater testing can help inform health actions.
- Wastewater testing for COVID-19 is capable of gaining unbiased information about community infection, even in marginalized communities that may not have access to testing.
“The empirical evidence shows us that some communities are more likely to contract and die from COVID-19 and the wastewater test is valuable because it can be adapted to achieve epidemic risks at different scales, from a building to an entire state. “said Erica Walker, director of environmental policy and programs at 120Water, which is a partner of the State of Indiana in its ongoing COVID-19 wastewater trial at 60 sample sites across the state. “Small communities without robust testing strategies may be able to use wastewater for sentinel testing.”
Rain has been shown to have a diluting effect on SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, reducing detection.
An EPA study for the Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Network shows an inverse relationship between the amount of rainfall and the level of virus concentrated in wastewater. “We are working on developing models that take into account factors such as dilution that affect virus detection and are important for describing the relationship between case data and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater,” said Nichole Brinkman, EPA microbiologist.
Wastewater testing can prepare communities earlier to fight epidemics.
The Ohio Department of Health is leveraging the state-owned Coronavirus Wastewater network to inform local health districts and utilities about trends showing increased SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater along with a toolkit to help these areas to fight the virus through pop-up tests, additional PPE, communications and hospital mobilization. “Our goal is to identify trends that imply a leading indicator of infection,” said Rebecca Fugitt, assistant chief of the Ohio Department of Health’s Bureau of Environmental Health and Radiation Protection. “Our goal is to be able to better understand the factors that influence the spread of the disease, especially in communities that are disproportionately affected.”
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