[ad_1]
Sunday January 24, 2021
Image: Noun Project CC
The Narragansett Bay Commission has been accepted to participate in a study on COVID-19 conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
The study is designed to rapidly monitor 100 million people across the United States using wastewater monitoring to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak and to identify best practices for assessing SARS-CoV-2 wastewater and subsequent data analysis across the country.
Questions about the transmission of the coronavirus through sewage began in May 2020 as the World Health Organization began to raise questions.
In October, MIT reported that the university had started piloting a wastewater testing program as a new tool to help keep the campus community safe this semester.
“In a project that will run during the fall semester, wastewater from seven buildings on campus will be tested every day for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The project is designed to determine whether wastewater testing can be an effective early warning system for COVID-19 outbreaks on campus, and is being assessed as a complementary tool in the Institute’s response to the pandemic , with clinical testing, contact tracing and other measures, ”MIT reported.
Bullock Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, PHOTO: NBC
How much virus is in the water
NBC’s Bucklin Point wastewater treatment facility in East Providence is participating in Phase I of the study, in which raw wastewater effluent is tested twice a week for six weeks. Phase I will assess 10% of the US population through wastewater monitoring. Surveillance began on December 27, 2020.
The second phase will recruit additional processing plants to meet the goal of monitoring 30% of the US population. All data will be compiled and transmitted to communities by HHS, with the goal of returning the data as soon as possible for local health departments to make quick and actionable decisions.
“Wastewater treatment has always been essential to public health, protecting our citizens against diseases and epidemics like dysentery and cholera,” said Vincent Mesolella, President of NBC. “It is a natural progression of our public health mission to once again contribute to the fight against COVID. We are very proud to be a part of this study providing valuable data to the leaders of our country during this difficult time.
An article published in Nature reported that “the health risks of COVID-19 through water transmission may be greater than initially thought, and wastewater should be further investigated as a potential route of transmission of COVID-19 . Evidence for SARS-CoV- RNA in wastewater treatment systems is accumulating around the world. The large number of individuals infected in the current pandemic, as well as the high infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, could present a new challenge for wastewater treatment and calls for a future assessment of the risk of transmission through water reuse. worn. These risks can be expected to be greatest in densely populated areas exposed directly to aerosolized wastewater, as well as in areas that do not have collection, treatment and adequate disinfection of wastewater. “
“Further research into the frequency of detection of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is urgently needed to obtain:
(1) critical information on the abundance of viruses in raw sewage, treated sewage and receiving environment, which can be used to generate a quantitative risk assessment;
(2) information on the effectiveness of the disposal by the wastewater treatment train;
(3) the disinfection requirements according to the loading and transmission of the virus by sewage treatment plants to ensure the complete removal of SARS-CoV-2 for wastewater reuse; and (4) epidemic surveillance for policymakers on the epidemic, extent and prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic within the community, ”wrote the report released in August.
Related Articles
- RI reports 38 deaths, more than 3,500 new cases of coronavirus in last 5 days
- Coronavirus deaths pile up in RI prisons, another victim announced on Christmas Day
- Rhode Island now has 4th highest number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the United States
- RI coronavirus infection rate nearly 10% – 18 more deaths
- 2,347 new coronavirus cases report RIDOH, over 400 deaths last month
- Trump orders UK travelers to test negative for coronavirus before entering United States
- Quarantine with coronavirus in Italy – “It is a crime for us to leave the house”
- UK cancels Christmas due to new strain of ‘highly contagious’ coronavirus
- Coronavirus Stimulus Package Deal Reached – Rhode Island Native Delayed Deal
- As Rhode Island restrictions loosen, state among highest coronavirus numbers in United States
- RI reports 956 new cases of coronavirus, 8 more deaths – Watch Raimondo LIVE at 1 p.m.
- UK approves use of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine
- US congressman-elect Letlow dies of coronavirus at 41
- McKee on RI’s half-billion-dollar forecast budget deficit, coronavirus response and marijuana
- WATCH LIVE: McKee and Raimondo to host joint coronavirus press conference at 1 p.m.
- More than 2,000 Rhode Islanders have now died from coronavirus
- RI doctor discovered patients and his staff were recklessly exposed to coronavirus – license suspended
- MA Department of Public Health announces first case of more contagious UK strain of coronavirus
- EDITORIAL: With Raimondo leaving, it’s time to hit the reset button on RI’s response to the coronavirus
- NY Times Ranks RI # 1 for New Coronavirus Cases, No More Confusion With Vaccine Schedule
- Gilligan’s Island star Dawn Wells who played Mary Ann dies at 82 from coronavirus
- It will take almost 2 years to vaccinate the IR against the coronavirus, even doubling the current rate
- Fung tests positive for coronavirus, Raimondo in quarantine after another exposure
- Rhode Island Rises to 4th Highest Per Capita Coronavirus Deaths in United States
- New asymptomatic coronavirus test site opens in Warwick
Do you like this post? Share it with others.
[ad_2]
Source link