KWR in the news G.J. Medema - Waste-watching: Sewage can help track pandemic virus trends

“One county in Utah beat back a spike of pandemic virus infections in the spring, and another saw its rate jump. Both trends showed up in their sewage.
Yes, sewage. Across the U.S. and in Europe, researchers and health officials say they can track the course of a community outbreak of the new coronavirus by studying the waste flushed from its bathrooms. And that can provide a valuable addition to public health tools, they say.
In Utah, wastewater from communities near a Cache County meatpacking plant that discovered 287 infected workers indicated an outbreak several days before it was officially reported. In contrast, sewage from Summit County showed a decline after officials imposed anti-virus measures, including asking tourists to stay away from its popular Park City ski area.”

(Citation: Ritter, M. – KWR in the news G.J. Medema – Waste-watching: Sewage can help track pandemic virus trends – www.abcnews.go.com (2020)6 July)