Sewage and wastewater could be the key to tracking the spread of coronavirus and help warn of future outbreaks, a study finds. Researchers from the KWR Water Research Institute in the Netherlands studied sewage samples from seven cities to look for evidence of COVID-19 in sewage. They said it is also useful to determine if sewage surveillance could be used to monitor the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in our communities. Sewage surveillance is already used to detect other viruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria - as well as by police to track the spread of illegal drugs. 'The detection of the virus in sewage, even when the Covid-19 prevalence is low, indicates that sewage surveillance could be a sensitive tool to monitor the circulation of the virus in the population,' they wrote.

Source: Daily Mail April 02, 2020 10:08 UTC