Bergen County tests wastewater for COVID-19 to predict virus risk

Bergen County officials said researchers will test the county’s wastewater for COVID-19 to protect residents from the virus.

Jim Tedesco, Bergen County Director, says researchers can open manholes or go to the water treatment plant and test a water sample for the virus. From there, the county can use that data as a predictor to see if people get sick or if there will be another spike in coronavirus cases.

Once a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, analysts will be able to see if the vaccine is working or if some areas of the county are not receiving or taking the vaccine if RNA is still present in the water.

Tedesco says researchers could test wastewater coming out of a nursing home or intensive care facility to see if people inside are at risk.

“So if all of a sudden we see a rise, [we can] go ahead and start talking to people, “What’s going on? Maybe you need to separate people, maybe you need tests every day, ”says Tedesco.

Bergen County has teamed up with Columbia University to launch this program. Testing began in May. Officials say this is particularly important in Bergen County, which experiences more than 200 cases of COVID-19 a day.