Researchers hope wastewater can identify COVID-19 hot spots, future outbreaks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Could COVID-19 be tracked using wastewater? That’s the question researchers at the University of Louisville are trying to figure out.

MSD is providing researchers with samples from eight sites and five treatment facilities to be analyzed as part of the Co-Immunity Project. Each week, samples are sent to UofL and research collaborators at Arizona State University and tested for counts of SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA. According to researchers, the presence the RNA sequence is an indicator of the level of infection in a community.

Researchers are hoping the wastewater tests will identify hot spots and detect early warning sign of future outbreaks.

The Owsley Brown II Family Foundation donated $1 million to help with the research.

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