SARS-CoV-2 surveillance from North Carolina wastewater

To better understand COVID-19 in North Carolina, NCDHHS is testing samples of wastewater from select wastewater treatment plants across the state to look for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. People with COVID-19 shed viral particles in their stool. These viral particles are pieces of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 when still intact. In wastewater, the particles are no longer infectious but can still be measured. Testing wastewater for these viral particles allows us to track COVID-19 trends among people contributing to the wastewater. Data from these sites serve as a supplemental metric to understand the impacts of COVID-19 at the community level. This project is a collaboration between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina system researchers, wastewater utilities, and public health departments.