Initial results from the COVID wastewater monitoring project in Michigan are promising

Initial results from a project in Michigan to monitor COVID-19 levels in wastewater show promising results.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) today released preliminary results from four of the counties and one of the universities participating in a statewide monitoring program for the COVID-19 virus in wastewater.

From the beginning of October to the end of November, the virus was detected in 100 percent of 18 samples collected at one location in Genesee County, 100 percent of 25 samples at one location in Marquette County, and 100 percent of six samples at one location in Macomb. Province. At five sites within a single community in Manistee County, the virus was detected in 48.6 percent of the 35 samples collected.

Overall, researchers said the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater from these sites appears to initially reflect documented transmission within individual sites and communities.

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In addition, most sampling sites found an upward trend in the amount of virus present in samples collected from October to November.

Fifteen universities across the country are participating in the pilot project and are using environmental monitoring of wastewater in response to COVID-19 on campus. For example, the University of Michigan is collecting samples from nine campus buildings and has had positive detections at seven of those locations this fall. Of those samples, 17.7 percent, or 39 of 220 samples, were positive for the virus.

“These early results are very promising in the field of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring in Michigan,” said Sarah Lyon-Callo, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology and Population Health at MDHHS. “This project has demonstrated the feasibility of this laboratory method and local partnerships for a wastewater monitoring system in the longer term. Participating laboratories continue to adapt methods to produce the most reliable results, and national and local public health authorities are beginning to interpret the data and incorporate the results into public health responses, as appropriate. “

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MDHHS said the data cannot currently be used to determine the total number of infected individuals in a community or the percentage of the population infected. Nineteen laboratories in the state of Michigan participate in a standardized and coordinated network of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring systems.

Monitoring wastewater for the SARS-CoV-2 virus can provide an early warning sign of the presence of disease in a community. This virus is excreted in human feces, including in people who are infected but not or have not yet become ill, and can be detected in wastewater up to seven days before infections lead to an increase in clinical cases. A significant increase in the virus detected in wastewater over time can show that the number of cases can increase in a community.

This type of monitoring can be used to detect potential outbreaks in communities and in communal living facilities, such as university dormitories and long-term care facilities, before identifying clinical cases. In the future, local public health authorities may use this wastewater monitoring data, along with associated clinical case data, to inform public health decisions to prevent further spread within a community.

Wastewater monitoring can also be helpful in evaluating future immunization efforts. The state of Michigan is fortunate to have internationally recognized scientific leaders in this field in multiple institutions across the state.

This project only monitors the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater and sewage water, not in drinking water. It is important to note that there is no risk of the SARS-CoV-2 virus being found in properly treated drinking water from regulated drinking water treatment plants or private sources that are properly installed and maintained.

View the EGLE COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance map here.