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Researchers from the National Institute of Biology, who have been dealing with viruses in various water samples for many years, have been developing methods and analyzing wastewater samples for the presence of a new coronavirus since the end of March this year. In September, they started pilot monitoring at seven treatment plants and subsequently linked the one in Maribor.
They are currently monitoring trends in virus concentration in treatment plants for the inhabitants of Ljubljana, Kranj, Koper, Rogaška Slatina, Celje, Maribor, Velenje and Šoštanj, Domžale and Kamnik, which together cover more than half a million inhabitants of Slovenia.
The results of the pilot monitoring show that after a rapid increase in the concentration of the novel coronavirus in wastewater in October, it reached a plateau in November. In most treatment plants, the virus concentration is still very high at the moment, but in addition, a new increase in virus concentrations has been measured in some locations in the last week, the institute announced today.
Based on the results obtained so far, the institute concludes that it is a tool capable of predicting the next wave of the epidemic. It is particularly promising that a change in the tendency of infection can be detected using wastewater analysis rather than testing individuals.
Monitoring the spread of the novel coronavirus in the population via wastewater can be particularly important in detecting potential new outbreaks. The institute said it analyzes the presence of the virus in individual facilities, such as nursing homes, hospitals, schools and businesses, and to monitor the effectiveness of preventive measures.
The discovery of a new coronavirus in wastewater samples was reported in the spring by several foreign countries. Also in Slovenia, the National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Nutrition demonstrated the presence of a new coronavirus in the wastewater of the Ljubljana Infectious Diseases Clinic in the summer, the institute recalled.
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