Researchers at the University of Arizona claim that they were able to prevent a coronavirus outbreak by performing tests on wastewater samples from a residential hall. The researchers claim that wastewater samples can identify the presence of a virus two to three weeks before residents test positive.
According to a local news report, researchers at the University of Arizona claim that they successfully thwarted the spread of coronavirus by testing wastewater samples. Administrators conducted 311 coronavirus tests on students in the Likins residential building after wastewater from the building was found to have contained traces of the virus.
Dr. Ian Pepper, an environmental science professor, claims that wastewater sampling can successfully prevent even individual cases of coronavirus. Unlike other statistical indicators of a virus’ presence in a community, wastewater sampling can directly prevent cases.
“By analyzing the sewage, we’re actually monitoring the whole community with one test,” Pepper said. “That gives you seven precious days in which you can put in mitigation or interventions to try to deal with the virus. I think about a week in the U.S. is probably equivalent to 20 or 30,000 cases,” Pepper added.
Wastewater sampling has been used in Europe throughout the coronavirus pandemic. In a press release published in August, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention tempered expectations for wastewater sampling, claiming that it is an imperfect measure of a virus’ presence in a specific location.
“Sewage testing over time can provide trend data that can complement other surveillance data that informs public health decision making,” the CDC wrote in a press release. “However, at this time, it is not possible to reliably and accurately predict the number of infected individuals in a community based on sewage testing.”
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