- The South African Medical Research Council has been gathering data from 70 wastewater treatment plants in four provinces.
- SARS-CoV-2 can be shed in faeces of people who are symptomatic or asymptomatic, and this can assist in mapping Covid-19 trends in a particular community.
- The Durban University of Technology's Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology says wastewater analysis in KwaZulu-Natal indicates the province might already be in the third wave.
The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has begun tracking Covid-19 through wastewater in four provinces.
Last week, SAMRC launched its wastewater surveillance dashboard that tracks the levels of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19. SARS-CoV-2 can be shed in faeces of people who are symptomatic or asymptomatic.
SAMRC tests wastewater from parts of the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo and the Western Cape weekly to see the amount of the virus in a particular community, which allows them to map the virus's trends.
Dr Mongezi Mdhluli, the Chief Research Operations Officer at the SAMRC, said that this tool would help public health authorities come up with timeous interventions to help reduce the spread of the virus.
"The new, interactive SAMRC wastewater surveillance dashboard will provide relevant provinces, local authorities and health departments with a further source of intelligence to inform decisions and interventions to prepare for and manage Covid-19," said Mdhluli.
SAMRC has been gathering data from 70 wastewater treatment plants in the four provinces and has been working with five research units within SAMRC, including their Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP) and other organisations.
Dr Rabia Johnson from BRIP said they were working with various higher education institutions where students and staff from partner institutions were being trained on laboratory methods, with the focus being on Under-Resourced Institutions.
"We work closely with our four partner laboratories, the University of Venda, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, the University of Fort Hare and Nelson Mandela University, to build capacity and ensure robust quality management," said Johnson.
Meanwhile, the Durban University of Technology's Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology said that wastewater analysis in KwaZulu-Natal indicated that the province might already be experiencing the third wave of Covid-19.
The institute has been monitoring the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Durban, which currently services around 61 suburbs within the eThekwini Municipality, since July 2020
"According to recent clinical data, the number of active cases in KZN and the eThekwini Municipality began to rise steadily since 20 April 2021, however, we have started observing the spike in viral loads in wastewater since 30 March 2021, almost three weeks before the actual clinically confirmed cases were reported - indicating that WBE may be used as a predictive tool for surges in Covid-19 infections and that frequent monitoring is required for future wave predictions," said the Institute's research team.
Despite this, News24 reported on Sunday that KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala had said the province was not in the third wave yet and urged residents to remain vigilant.
"Even though our province has not entered the third wave of Covid-19, we should nevertheless remain vigilant and acutely aware of the potential risk of a resurgence of infections. We cannot over-emphasise this. It is crucial for us to adhere to the non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as wearing of masks, maintaining social distancing and washing our hands regularly with soap and water," Zikalala was quoted as saying in that report.