US CDC launches wastewater surveillance data to track Covid trend

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new dashboard to track Covid-19 in wastewater samples across the country.

The CDC's Wastewater Surveillance tab will track SARS-CoV-2 levels in sewage at more than 400 testing sites across the US, reports Xinhua news agency.

This marks the first time CDC's wastewater surveillance data is available for download.

Wastewater surveillance is a promising tool for tracking the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the CDC said on Friday.

Many people with Covid-19 shed the virus in their faeces, so testing wastewater can help find the disease in communities.

Because increases of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater generally occur 4 to 6 days before corresponding increases in clinical cases, wastewater surveillance can serve as an early warning of increasing Covid-19 cases and help communities prepare, according to the CDC.

Wastewater testing has been successfully used as a method for detection of other diseases, such as polio, according to the CDC.