![]() ![]() DOH currently has results for all facilities that are participating in wastewater sampling and testing via the WAWBE and CDC NWSS program. ![]() How Data is SharedĭOH recognizes the importance of using all data sources to develop a complete picture of COVID-19 activity in Washington. Current sampling counties include Benton, Chelan, Clark, Franklin, Grant, Jefferson, King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane. Who are the current sampling participants?Īs of August 8, 2022, 21 wastewater treatment plants across 10 counties are participating in wastewater-based epidemiology for COVID-19. Communities that consist of <3,000 people do not appear on the COVID data tracker. This data is then displayed on the CDC COVID Data Tracker. DCIPHER is a secure platform that is internal to the CDC. The system is available to Department of Health epidemiologists for analysis. After our epidemiologists analyze the data, they upload it to CDC’s DCIPHER data storage. Wastewater data that is uploaded to an internal DOH database called REDCap. Because each sewer shed is unique to that community, there is currently no clear way to directly compare virus levels across sewer sheds even when using the sample collection and analysis methods. Watching sustained increases is key with other data to inform decisions. Right now, it is too early to know if increases in wastewater COVID samples will result in increased reported cases. Wastewater sampling for COVID-19 is a relatively new tool and we are still working to understand how the data can be applied to public health action. Limitations of Wastewater-based Epidemiology in Monitoring COVID-19 Wastewater can also be used as a leading indicator, that reveal increases in community infection rates in the wastewater 3-5 days before clinical testing, depending on the COVID-19 variant. ![]() Therefore, wastewater results can complement other surveillance sources, such as clinical testing and hospitalization data. With the increase in at-home testing and decreased masking requirements, wastewater data has potential to provide better insight into community spread of COVID-19 when paired with case data. Approximately 40% of people with COVID-19, both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases, shed virus RNA in their stool. It is often not feasible to conduct individual clinical tests on an entire population due to capacity limitations and individual testing hesitancy. ![]() Why is wastewater-based epidemiology useful for COVID-19 response? This sample can inform us on community-level infection trends. The wastewater sample can then be tested for pathogens, including COVID-19. To do this, we collect samples of untreated wastewater at wastewater treatment plant over a 24-hour period. Wastewater-based epidemiology is measuring a pathogen’s levels in wastewater. This data can help state and local health departments monitor trends and gain a sense of community COVID-19 levels. WAWBE works with local health jurisdictions (LHJs) and wastewater treatment facilities across the state to test wastewater samples for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Washington Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WAWBE) program started in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (CDC NWSS) to monitor COVID-19 at a community level. ![]()
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