Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

July 22, 2020

SARS-CoV-2 Titers in Wastewater Are Higher than Expected from Clinically Confirmed Cases

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  • Wu et al. tested wastewater collected at a major urban treatment facility in Massachusetts from March 18 to 25, 2020 and observed significantly higher SARS-CoV-2 titers (57 to 303 copies per mL of sewage) than expected based on number of clinically confirmed cases at the time. The investigators suggest that wastewater-based surveillance could help inform relaxing of lockdown and quarantine efforts. 

Wu et al. (July 21, 2020). SARS-CoV-2 Titers in Wastewater Are Higher than Expected from Clinically Confirmed Cases. MSystems. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00614-20