Sewage System Helps Coronavirus Contact Tracing, Narrows Down COVID-19 Infected Hunt

Leah N., Tech Times 31 October 2020, 12:10 pm

Coronavirus Detection through Sewage System Narrows Down COVID-19 Infected Hunt — (Photo : Miguel Á. Padriñán/Pexels) Researchers in US discovered that coronavirus can be detected though sewage system. New algorithm narrows down the infected person hunt.

Researchers in Tempe, Arizona are using the city's sewage system to track the changes in coronavirus infected cases. The city regularly check the sewage system to monitor if there is any active case of COVID 19 within the vicinity.

According to CNN, by plainly using the sewage sample from the Tempe, Boston, Reno, Nevada and others researchers were able to the witness the spike in the coronavirus cases.

Although using the sewage system as an indicator does not identify who among the community is infected, it helps officials to do the needed necessary precautions should they detect the circulation of virus within the neighborhood.

How is coronavirus detected from sewage systems

Rosa Inchausti, a researcher who does the regular sewage monitoring stated that this process is a leading indicator that the proof is actually on the poop. Her team believes that this is a useful alternative should the standard person-by-person test cannot be done immediately.

Back in 2019, researchers discovered that the COVID 19 virus can enter into a human digestive system. They even found out that the strain may be found on human feces.

Mariana Matus, co-founder and CEO of Biobot Analytics believes in the effectivity of coronavirus monitoring through the sewage system. It is a good way to expose the presence of the virus even before people in the community finds a chance to seek medical attention.

Based on the observations that researchers conducted, coronavirus manifestation shows up on human waste. These comes even before people show up in hospitals and queue for a COVID 19 individual tests.

Once flushed, the coronavirus fairly breaks down leaving it in the form of RNA. The said formation no longer has the capacity to infect. Yet it does not lose its properties that easily identifies it as the COVID 19 strain.

Coronavirus detection on sewage system applied

The Fox News reported that Biobot has now worked with 400 facilities on 42 states to monitor the presence of the coronavirus using the sewage system. The company's spokesperson estimated that to be about 10% of the U.S. population.

Richard Larson, professor at MIT Institute for Data, Systems and Society said that his team together with the researchers in Toronto plans to put up an algorithm that will narrow down the hunt for the source of infection. The team looks at publishing the paper on the two new algorithms in the days ahead.

Larson explained that the first algorithm will revolve around what they will call the pristine community with no reported infections. They will uncover the manholes and gather samples from halfway of the sewer lines.

If they find a positive case, they will search on all those blocks connected to the manhole until they are left with the block where the virus infected lives. All the people living on the said block will then undergo the test.

The second algorithm will involve almost the same process as the first. However, they would concentrate on certain hotspot where they would impose the use of masks and observance of proper hygiene.