Coronavirus Detected in Sewage Ahead of Outbreaks

A new study published on September 18, 2020, measured SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in primary sewage sludge in the New Haven, Connecticut, during the Spring of 2020. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected throughout the study.

"Our data show the utility of viral RNA monitoring in municipal wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 infection surveillance at a population-wide level. In communities facing a delay between specimen collection and the reporting of test results, immediate wastewater results can provide considerable advance notice of infection dynamics," stated these researchers.