Wastewater-Based SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in Northern New England

Abstract

Despite vaccination efforts, the delta and omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 have caused global surges of COVID-19. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it is important to find new ways of tracking early signs of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. The manuscript outlines how to collect wastewater from treatment facilities, concentrate the virus in a dilute wastewater sample, and detect it using two sensitive PCR-based methods. It also describes important trends in SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater of a rural region of the United States from Fall 2020 - Winter 2021 and demonstrates the utility of wastewater monitoring as a leading indicator of active SARS-CoV-2 cases. Monitoring changes in concentration of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater may offer an early indicator of increased case counts and enable appropriate public health actions to be taken.