KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — According to a report in Nature Biotechnology, scientists in Arizona have uncovered a somewhat bizarre but effective way to get a jump on COVID-19 trends in their states by studying the sewage.
The University of Arizona actually tracks its campus sewage output to track the virus that causes COVID-19.
In New Haven, Connecticut, researchers found that the genetic material from the virus started to increase up to two days before positive COVID-19 tests revealed a growing infection rate.
The sludge data were one to four days ahead of hospital admissions, and because of delays in getting test results, the data was also six to eight days ahead of people realizing they were infected.
There is a definite opportunity to use this early information to help officials make decisions about whether to loosen or tighten public health restrictions.