SARS-CoV-2 surveillance from Wake County, 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.

为全面掌握北卡罗来纳州新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）的疫情态势，北卡罗来纳州卫生与公众服务部（North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services，简称NCDHHS）正对全州范围内选定的污水处理厂采集的废水样本开展检测，以搜寻引发该病的严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型（SARS-CoV-2）。感染新型冠状病毒肺炎的人群会在粪便中排出病毒颗粒，此类颗粒是SARS-CoV-2病毒的组成片段，当颗粒保持完整状态时，可引发感染。在废水环境中，这些病毒颗粒不再具备传染性，但仍可被有效检测。通过对废水中的此类病毒颗粒进行检测，我们能够追踪排放该废水人群中的新冠疫情传播趋势。上述监测站点的数据可作为补充指标，助力我们理解新冠疫情在社区层面的影响。本项目由北卡罗来纳州卫生与公众服务部、北卡罗来纳大学系统研究人员、污水处理公用事业机构以及公共卫生部门合作推进。