What’s the scoop on the “Poop Group”?
Wastewater is an early-warning tool to track the spread of COVID-19
Tracking the spread of COVID-19 is a key part of keeping the virus under control. You may already know that we use testing to track COVID-19 cases. Our COVID-19 data dashboard shows these cases, along with hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccinations. There’s another way to detect the virus that’s a little surprising: looking at human feces, or “poop.”
The Washington Department of Health (DOH) has started testing wastewater for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Wastewater is used water which — you guessed it! — has poop and other waste in it. Testing wastewater to look for diseases is called wastewater surveillance.
Wastewater surveillance can be a valuable early warning tool for COVID-19 outbreaks. And it can help us in other ways in the future, to:
- Track the spread of COVID-19 after most people get vaccinated;
- Find out if the virus is spreading in rural communities where it is harder for people to get tested; and
- Find out if the virus is spreading in specific places, like schools or long-term care facilities.
The Large Onsite Sewage System (LOSS) Program at DOH is the “poop group” leading this work. They check wastewater for certain viruses, bacteria and other microbes that cause illness. The goal is to find out if disease is spreading in a population.
A well-established method for a new virus
Wastewater surveillance isn’t a new public health tool. For many years, public health workers have used wastewater to collect disease information. In fact, we have been using it since the 1930s to find other diseases, like polio.
But using this method to find COVID-19 is a new idea. Scientific studies show that people with COVID-19 release the virus in their feces. This happens even if a sick person never gets COVID-19 symptoms, or before symptoms show up. Because the virus is in poop, we can test wastewater to measure how widespread the virus is. (And don’t worry; no one has gotten COVID-19 from contact with wastewater.)
New support for wastewater surveillance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has started the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) to support wastewater surveillance as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC awarded DOH funding to:
- Test wastewater for COVID-19 at the DOH Public Health Laboratory;
- Work with Washington utility companies and communities that already test wastewater for COVID-19;
- Help utility companies and communities upload testing data into the NWSS portal.
- Encourage partners to track COVID-19 using wastewater surveillance.
Our goal is to help these local partners learn about wastewater surveillance and how it can help their communities. Together, we will decide if it can be a useful tool for tracking the spread of COVID-19 long-term. Then, DOH will help partners begin testing wastewater on a larger scale.
It may be a dirty job, but wastewater surveillance can help us learn more about how COVID-19 is spreading. We are excited to add another tool to our kit to keep Washington communities safe and healthy.
Stay tuned for more! We’ll be sharing updates in the coming months about how we’re using and expanding this vital new tool.
More information
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Check the state’s COVID-19 website for up-to-date and reliable info at coronavirus.wa.gov.
For more information about the vaccine, visit CovidVaccineWA.org. Check the vaccine locator tool to find out if it’s your turn for the vaccine and see a list of places where you can get it. The COVID-19 vaccine is provided at no cost to you.
Answers to your questions or concerns about COVID-19 in Washington state may be found at our website. You can also contact the Department of Health call center at 1–800–525–0127 and press # from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday — Sunday and observed state holidays. Language assistance is available.
