Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 to support return to campus: Methodological considerations and data interpretation

Vikram Kapoor; Haya Al-Duroobi; Duc C Phan; Rakhee S Palekar; Bobby Blount; Kunal J Rambhia

doi:10.1016/j.coesh.2022.100362

Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 to support return to campus: Methodological considerations and data interpretation

Curr Opin Environ Sci Health. 2022 Jun:27:100362. doi: 10.1016/j.coesh.2022.100362. Epub 2022 Apr 2.

Authors

Vikram Kapoor¹, Haya Al-Duroobi¹, Duc C Phan¹, Rakhee S Palekar², Bobby Blount², Kunal J Rambhia²

Affiliations

¹ School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Construction Management, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
² MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA 01730, USA.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for various institutions such as school systems due to widespread closures. As schools re-open their campuses to in-person education, there is a need for frequent screening and monitoring of the virus to ensure the safety of students and staff and to limit risk to the surrounding community. Wastewater surveillance (WWS) of SARS-CoV-2 is a rapid and economical approach to determine the extent of COVID-19 in the community. The focus of this review is on the emergence of WWS as a tool for safe return to school campuses, taking into account methodological considerations such as site selection, sample collection and processing, SARS-CoV-2 quantification, and data interpretation. Recently published studies on the implementation of COVID-19 WWS on school and college campuses were reviewed. While there are several logistical and technical challenges, WWS can be used to inform decision-making at the school campus and/or building level.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Schools; Surveillance; Wastewater-based epidemiology.

Publication types

Review