March 8, 2021

Rapid Increase of SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.7 Detected in Sewage Samples from England between October 2020 and January 2021

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): testing, variants

• [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Between October 2020 and January 2021, a rapid increase in the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 was detected in sewage samples in England. Viral RNA containing B.1.1.7 mutations was first identified in a sample collected in London on November 10 and detected in 7-9% of all sewage samples in November, increasing to >95% by January 2021. The authors suggest that environmental surveillance of sewage may provide an early warning of potential spread of specific variants of concern.

Wilton et al. (Mar 7, 2021). Rapid Increase of SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.7 Detected in Sewage Samples from England between October 2020 and January 2021. Pre-print downloaded Mar 8 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.03.21252867