Communicating Science in a Crisis. The story of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring

“Communicating science during a crisis is no simple task. Over the past year, governments across the world have faced the shared challenge of communicating the latest research, public health measures, projections, and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Results have varied widely, from strong evidence-based leadership in some jurisdictions to widespread misinformation and public distrust in others.
While in many ways on the periphery of COVID-19 conversations, water sector organizations have similarly been challenged to conduct and communicate critical research on unprecedented timelines. In countries including the Netherlands and Canada, monitoring of COVID-19 through sewage has emerged as a powerful tool to help public health agencies prioritize limited resources. The development of this approach over the past year has been driven in no small part by the effective coordination and communication of research by water sector leaders.”

(Citation: Andrews, L., Shapiro, A. – Communicating Science in a Crisis. The story of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring – WaterCanada 21(2021)3, p.16-17)