Wastewater Testing Prevents COVID-19 Outbreak at University of Arizona

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Aug 28, 2020 11:43 PM EDT

Wastewater testing samples from the dorms on the University of Arizona campus came back positive for COVID-19, said university president, Dr. Robert Robbins.

The University of Arizona is regularly testing wastewater from each dorm, searching for traces of COVID-19. Officials said the techniques worked and possibly prevented a COVID-19 outbreak at the University of Arizona.

According to the school officials, when wastewater testing samples came back positive, the school quickly tested all 311 people who live and work there. By testing, they found two asymptomatic students who tested positive for COVID-19.

The students were quickly quarantined. Richard Carmona, a former U.S. surgeon general directing the school's reentry task force, said that they have managed to jump on it right away with the early detection. He added that they got them the appropriate isolation where they needed to be.

Dr. Ian Pepper, Director of the University of Arizona West Center, and his team are doing wastewater testing from dorms to determine if someone is positive for COVID-19, even if they do not show any symptoms.

Pepper said that sewage water testing is a leading indicator of cases, compared to deaths, which is a lagging indicator.

"That's the last thing you see," Pepper said in a report.

Wastewater Testing

Researchers worldwide have been studying the ability of wastewater testing to determine COVID-19 cases early and prevent coronavirus outbreaks.

Countries like Singapore, China, Spain, Canada, and New Zealand have programs doing wastewater testing. Meanwhile, the United States has more than 170 wastewater facilities in 37 states that are being tested.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier partnered with the nation's Department of Health and Human Services to test sewage systems for COVID-19.

Some experts said that wastewater testing should not replace clinical testing. But it is believed to help communities where COVID-19 tests are unavailable.

University of Arizona

Carmon said the two asymptomatic students could have further spread the virus before it was even detected without the sewage testing.

Carmona also said that if they had waited until they started showing symptoms, and stayed in the dorm for days, several people could have been infected.

Kevin Thomas, director of the University of Queensland's Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, noted that wastewater was also used for years to test for other viruses and study illegal drug use.

It was also done to understand the socioeconomic status of a community based on its food consumption. Thomas has been cooperating with a federal research agency to develop techniques to best track the virus in Australia.

He said that sewage water testing is effective because fragments of the virus stay in feces.

"I really do think it's a good demonstration of the technique and technology because all the researchers working in this space internationally have come to the conclusion that is a very good early warning system," Thomas said, referring to Arizona's experience.

Thomas added that the process used to test is the same as those used for nose swab tests, including fragments within the sample and then extracting the ribonucleic acid (RNA).