The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (“EGLE”) announced the creation of a pilot COVID-19 wastewater surveillance grant program.
The $10 million grant will fund local public health department efforts to:
. . . coordinate with counties, universities, and other institutions across the state on COVID-19 wastewater testing programs.
EGLE states that local testing has the potential “to be an early warning system for the spread of COVID-19 within a specific community or for coronavirus outbreaks on college campuses and at other densely populated facilities.”
The funds originate from the State of Michigan’s allocation of federal money under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
EGLE also states:
Testing wastewater for viruses, such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, can be an effective tool for monitoring transmission of COVID-19 within a local community or at individual facilities. The virus is shed in human waste, including people who are not ill or have not yet become ill. The virus can then be detected by testing samples taken from sewers and wastewater treatment plants, with results often being available earlier than human clinical samples. These results can then inform local public health actions to prevent further spread within that community.
EGLE states that it will coordinate sample collection, lab analysis, data reporting and communication with local monitoring teams.
A copy of the news release can be downloaded here.
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