Prof Miguel Quinones-Mateu, of the University of Otago, prepares a wastewater sample for testing in his laboratory on yesterday afternoon. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSHLocal researchers are hoping they will soon be able to provide some of the poorest communities on the planet with cheap and effective tools to monitor Covid-19. Prof Miguel Quinones-Mateu of the University of Otago microbiology and immunology department said researchers were collecting samples in Uganda, Ghana, Colombia, Venezuela and Fiji. Wastewater testing could provide these countries with a cheaper way of gathering data to help make public health decisions. Part of the investigation was proving that wastewater systems that did not have expensive treatment plants could still provide accurate data.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 18, 2021 02:37 UTC