Wastewater coronavirus tests are catching on after proving to be an early warning sign for outbreaks

(Image credit: iStock/Mr_Twister)

published 28 May 2020

Move over, swabs. There's a new coronavirus test in town.

Okay, so traditional tests are still necessary when it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19. But testing wastewater for coronavirus' genetic material — something that was just an "intriguing laboratory finding" a month ago — could be even more effective than individual swab tests as the U.S. aims to reopen while avoiding new coronavirus outbreaks and resurgences, Stat News reports.

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Over the past few weeks, more sewage plants have started sending their samples to labs and even conducting analysis on their own, and more studies have revealed that "you can pick up a signal about a week before the first clinical case," Stat News writes. And while the U.S. is waiting for a lab-to-lab comparison before rolling out a uniform nationwide sewage testing regimen, Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands have already launched national programs of their own.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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