April 27, 2020

Metropolitan Wastewater Analysis for COVID‐19 Epidemiological Surveillance

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

• Randazzo et al used RTqPCR for SARS‐CoV‐2 detection in a series of longitudinal wastewater samples collected during the earliest stages of the epidemic in Valencia, Spain. The team consistently detected SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in samples taken when cases in that region were only incipient. They note that wastewater viral RNA context increased rapidly and anticipated the subsequent ascent in the number of declared cases. They conclude that wastewater analysis is a sensitive and cost‐effective strategy for COVID‐19 epidemiological surveillance of community transmission and significantly improves PH preparedness against new or re‐occurring viral outbreaks.

Randazzo et al. (April 23 2020). Metropolitan Wastewater Analysis for COVID‐19 Epidemiological Surveillance. Preprint downloaded April 27 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.23.20076679