COVID-19 Sewage Surveillance must-reads

Scientific publications

• 1 feb – www.kwrwater.nl – Bezem J. Interview G.J. Medema – Rioolwatermeting corona van ‘vroeg signaal’ naar ‘meeloopindicator’. WaterForum-Online. 2022 1 februari
• 1 nov – www.kwrwater.nl – Interview F.M. Béen en G.J. Medema – Rioolwater als ideale ‘verklikker’ voor ontwikkeling coronavirus
• 29 oct – www.kwrwater.nl – Rose, J.B.Medema, G.J.Naughton, C.Katsivelis, P.Allan, V. – A global repository for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater data. 
• 23 sept – www.kwrwater.nl – Ahmed, W.Simpson, S.L.Bertsch, P.M.Bibby, K.Bivins, A.Blackall, L.L.Bofill-Mas, S.Bosch, A.Brandãog, J.et. al. –  Minimizing errors in RT-PCR detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for wastewater surveillance 
• 16 sept – www.waterforum.nl – Citaten F.M. Béen en G.J. Medema – Primium: RIVM haalt extreem hoge piek rioolwatermeting uit Coronadashboard. Sept 2021
• 16 sept – www.thesourcemagazine.org – KWR in the news G.J. Medema – Detecting COVID-19 variants in wastewater. August 2021. Citation: KWR in the news G.J. Medema – Detecting COVID-19 variants in wastewater – www.thesourcemagazine.org (2021)23 August)
• 20 May – www.kwrwater.nl – Making Waves: Collaboration in the time of SARS-CoV-2 rapid development of an international co-operation and wastewater surveillance database to support public health decision-making. May 2020. Lundy, L.Fatta-Kassinos, D.Slobodnik, J.Karaolia, P.Cirka, L.Kreuzinger, N.Castiglioni, S.Bijlsma, L.Deviller, G.et al.
• 20 May – Communicating Science in a Crisis. The story of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring – WaterCanada 21(2021)3, p.16-17. Andrews, L., Shapiro, A.
• 17 May – www.kwrwater.nl – KWR in the news G.J. Medema – The myriad ways sewage surveillance is helping fight COVID around the world. May 2020. Kreier, F.
• 17 May – www.kwrwater.nl – Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 Circulation and Diversity through Community Wastewater Sequencing, the Netherlands and Belgium. May 2020. Izquierdo-Lara, R.Elsinga, G.S.Heijnen, L.Oude Munnink, B.B.Schapendonk, C.M.E.Nieuwenhuijse, D.Kon, M.Lu, L.Aarestrup, F.M.et al.
• 17 May – www.kwrwater.nl – Minimizing Errors in RT-PCR Detection and Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for Wastewater Surveillance. May 2020. Ahmed, W.Simpson, S.Bertsch, P.Bibby, K.Bivins, A.Blackall, L.Bofill-Mas, S.Bosch, A.Brandao, J.et al.
• 11 May – www.kwrwater.nl – From the Wastewater Drain, Solid Pandemic Data. May 2020. Anthes, E.
• 11 May- www.kwrwater.nl – Droplet Digital RT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in wastewater. May 2020. Heijnen, L.Elsinga, G.S.Graaf, M. deMolenkamp, R.Koopmans, M.P.G.Medema, G.J.
• 6 May – Publications Office of the European Union – SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance employing Sewage – Towards a Sentinel System. May 2020. GAWLIK Bernd; TAVAZZI Simona; MARIANI Giulio; SKEJO Helle; SPONAR Michel; HIGGINS Trudy; MEDEMA Gertjan; WINTGENS Thomas
• 1 Mrch – wwwsmartwatermagazinecom. “The pandemic has boosted the use of wastewater as a mirror of society“.  2021 25 February. Novo C. Interview G.J. Medema – Dr Medema (KWR)
• 1 Mrch – Smart Water Magazine – SARS-CoV-2 Monitoring in wastewater, a year of testing.  2021:50-7. Novo Pérez C. Interview G.J. Medema
• 28 Jan – KWR onderzoek in het nieuws – Signaalfunctie coronatest rioolwater leidt tot groot bevolkingsonderzoek in Rotterdam. 2021 26 januari.
• 26 Jan – KWR in het nieuws – Onderzoekers speuren nu ook in rioolwater naar Britse en andere varianten (en wel hierom). wwwadnl. 2021 25 januari – de Koning A., G.J. Medema.
• 21 Jan – KWR project in het nieuws – Nederland helpt Peru bij afvalwateronderzoek. www.nos.nl. 2021 15 januari
• 14 Jan – Water Research Foundation: Wastewater Surveillance of the COVID-19 Genetic Signal in Sewersheds: Recommendations from Global Experts. 2020. Gerba C, Pletl J, Gerrity D, Fulmer A, Et.al.
• 7 Jan – Environmental Science & Technology: Wastewater-Based Epidemiology: Global Collaborative to Maximize Contributions in the Fight Against COVID-19. 2020;54(13):7754-7. Bivens A, North D, Ahmad A, Ahmed W, Alm E, Béen FM, Bhattacharya P, Bijlsma L, Boehm A, Brown J, Buttiglieri G, Calabró V, Carducci A, Castiglioni S, Cetecioglu Z, Charkraborty S, Costa F, de los Reyes III F, Delgado Vela J, Farkas K, Fernandez Cassi X, Gerba C, Gerrity D, Girones R, Gonzalez R, Haramoto E, Harris A, Holden P, Islam MT, Jones D, Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Kitajima M, Kotlarz N, Kumar M, Kuroda K, La Rosa G, Malpei F, Matus M, McLellan S, Medema GJ, Meschke JS, Mueller JN, N.D. R, Noble R, van Nuijs A, Peccia J, Perkins A, Pickering A, Rose J, Sánchez G, Smith A, Stadler L, Stauber C, Thomas K, van der Voorn T, Wigginton K, Zhu K, Bibby K.
• 5 Jan – Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability: Reflection on health-environment research in the light of emerging infectious diseases: modelling water quality and health.  46(2020)October, p.8-10. Hofstra N, Medema GJ, Vermeulen LC.
• 1 Oct – Science Direct:  Implementation of environmental surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 virus to support public health decisions: opportunities and challenges
• 5 Aug WHO – KWR publication mentioned in WHO Scientific brief – Status of environmental surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 virus
• 20 May – Environmental Science & technology: In the current COVID-19 pandemic, a significant proportion of cases shed SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) with their faeces. To determine if SARS-CoV-2 RNA was present in sewage during the emergence of COVID-19 in the Netherlands, sewage samples of six cities and the airport were tested using four qRT-PCR assays, three targeting the nucleocapsid gene (N1-3) and one the envelope gene (E). Presence of SARS-Coronavirus-2 RNA in sewage and correlation with reported COVID-19 prevalence in the early stage of the epidemic in the Netherlands.
• 3 April – Nature: Wastewater testing could also be used as an early-warning sign if the virus returns. How sewage could reveal true scale of coronavirus outbreak
• 30 March – MedRXiv preprint: Presence of SARS-Coronavirus-2 in sewage (Gertjan Medema, Leo Heijnen, Goffe Elsinga, Ronald Italiaander, Anke Brouwer)

Sewage water as an early warning system

• 18 december Report (Italian): Scovare il virus monitorando le acque reflue
• 30 October Waterforum (Dutch): Aantal gemeten coronadeeltjes in rioolwater hoger dan in april
• 29 October NRC (Dutch): Het coronavirus in het riool is nog lastig te begrijpen
• 7 July – Delta – Journalistic platform TU Delft: How the Netherlands is preparing for a second corona wave 
• 6 July – AP News: Waste-watching: Sewage can help track pandemic virus trends
• 3 July – Volkskrant: (Dutch) Rioolwater als coronadetector: ‘Het geeft een vroege waarschuwing’
• 1 July – NRC: (Dutch) In het riool was de corona-epidemie al zichtbaar
• 18 June – Kennislink: (Dutch) Aantal coronabesmettingen in Amsterdam loopt op, meldt het riool
• 10 June – NY Times: How data became one of the most powerful tools to fight an epidemic
• 7 June – The Water Scientist: How is the recent corona research preparing us for current and future pandemics – Studio KWR Podcast (2020)EP01
• 29 May – website NOS: (Dutch) Corona-uitbraak snel te zien in rioolwater, ‘goede spiegel van de samenleving’
• 28 May – Kennislink: (Dutch) Sewege as an detection system for corona infections, a promising detection method, but not in use yet.
• 22 May – Financial Times: “The UK is preparing to launch a national research programme to detect coronavirus in sewage in a bid to create an early warning system for future waves of Covid-19. The new government initiative is part of an international surge of scientific interest in using wastewater tests as an additional tool to track coronavirus. The UK system is being put together by the government in consultation with universities, water companies and public research bodies, according to three people involved in the discussions“. UK plans to track spread of coronavirus in sewage
• 1 May – New York Times: Is It Safe to Come Out of Lockdown? Check the Sewer
• 29 April – Los Angeles Times: Poop may tell us when the coronavirus lockdown will end
• 20 april – The World: “Sewage surveillance” may be early warning tool in fight against COVID-19, says one study
• Good news: (Greece) Ένας τρόπος ανίχνευσης του κορονοϊού καλύτερος κι’ από τα τεστ (One way to detect the corona is better than testing)
• 15 April – Financieel Dagblad (Dutch): Het coronavirus is aangetroffen in het riool. Daardoor is op grote schaal testen ook mogelijk om de verspreiding van het virus beter in kaart te brengen. Wateronderzoeksinstituut KWR kan met de metingen vaststellen hoeveel besmettingen er in een gebied zijn. ‘Het riool geeft eerder een signaal dan dat coronapatiënten zich melden’
• 15 April: GWF Wasser: Ist die Coronaausbreitung anhand von Abwasserproben nachvollziehbar?
• 9 April – Bloomberg Quick Take: Can Sewage be a Virus Early Warning System? (video)
• 9 April – Water & Wastes Digest: “The detection of the virus in sewage, even when the COVID-19 prevalence is low, indicates that sewage surveillance could be a sensitive tool to monitor the circulation of the virus in the population.” Dutch scientists find coronavirus in city’s wastewater
• 7 April: Spiegel Wissenschaft:  Coronavirus im Abwasser Das Klärwerk als Messwerkzeug
• 7 April – Technisch weekblad: (Dutch) Coronavirus aangetroffen in rioolwater. Mogelijk methode om nieuwe uitbraken te voorspellen
• 6 April – Medium OneZero: The Key to Tracking Coronavirus Could Be Your Poo: Sewage surveillance could help scientists predict new outbreaks
• 2 April – Daily Mail: The Dutch scientists say the discovery of the virus in sewage means it could be used to provide an early warning system for the possible re-emergence of COVID-19 in a city that has re-opened after lockdown. Coronavirus pathogens in SEWAGE and wastewater could help track the spread of the disease and act as an early warning system for future outbreaks
• 1 April – Nature World News: “It is important to collect information about the occurrence and fate of this new virus in sewage to understand if there is no risk to sewage workers, but also to determine if sewage surveillance could be used to monitor the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in our communities.” Sewage Surveillance as Early Warning Signal for Novel Coronavirus Discovered
• 1 April – TaiPei Times – Virus Outbreak: Virus in sewage foretold outbreak in Dutch city
• 31 March – Deutsche Welle (DW): Scientists say they found the virus, that causes COVID-19, in a Dutch city’s wastewater before the first confirmed case in the city. They hope that sewage surveillance may be an early indicator of COVID-19’s presence. “In a city with 100.000 citizens, not everybody is tested,” researchers told DW. “Sewage water is a quicker route to ‘see’ the virus in the population.” Coronavirus in sewage foreshadowed outbreak in Dutch city

COVID-19 in sewage water

• 30 May – NRC Handelsblad: (Dutch) De coronapandemie laat zijn sporen na in het riool
• 4 May – Carte Blanche: COVID-19 in Wastewater – Early Warning of Infection? (video with Frederic Béen)
• 29 April – Hackathon EUvsVirus: Hackathon team Sewers4Covid (video)
• 20 April – The World: “We think that the effectivity of the virus may not be that high and that the virus is not very robust — so that in the sewer system, which is a hostile environment for this virus, that it will rapidly be inactivated if it’s infectious, still, after being shed.” ‘Sewage surveillance’ may be early warning tool in fight against COVID-19, says one study (including audio)
• 19 April – HealthWire: Can Human Poop Help Track The Spread Of COVID-19?
• 19 April – PompNL (Dutch): Zit Corona in ons afval/drinkwater?
• 17 March – AquaTech: Coronavirus and water/wastewater: a round-up of global advice (including audio)
• 16 April – Heidi News: Comment des scientifiques traquent Covid-19 dans les égouts, en Suisse et ailleurs
• 15 April – Mongabay India: Tracking sewage to surveil COVID-19
• 15 April – Gwf-wasser: (German) Ist die Coronaausbreitung anhand von Abwasserproben nachvollziehbar?
• 13 April – Alarabija: sewage reveals many of Corona’s secrets –  uit het Abrabisch المجاري ومياه الصرف الصحي تكشف الكثير من أسرار كورونا-
• 12 April – The Times: Scientists who analysed waste water in Dutch cities believe levels of the virus found in sewage can enable epidemiologists to detect how many people have been infected. Scientists in Holland fight dirty to track coronavirus through sewage (subscription)
• 12 April – H2O Actueel (in Dutch): Ook drinkwater dat bereid is uit oppervlaktewater is veilig. “Drinkwaterbedrijven die drinkwater uit oppervlaktewater bereiden, hebben allemaal meervoudige desinfectiebarrières gericht op het verwijderen van bacteriën, virussen en protozoën, die ook geborgd zijn door de Analyse Microbiologische Veiligheid Drinkwater.” Rondrazend virus gedijt niet in water, KWR werkt aan rioolwaterscreening
• 10 April – Aquarama (in Dutch): Waarom er geen covid-19 in ons drinkwater zit
• 9 april – ÄrzteZeitung: Coronavirus taucht im Abwasser auf
• 9 April – Bloomberg: Scientists are desperate for a way to detect the novel coronavirus in communities as early as possible. So far, those efforts have focused on widespread testing of people. But a group of Dutch researchers may have discovered a way to tell where the virus is spreading, right beneath their feet. Hunting For the Virus in Sewage (audio / podcast)
• 8 April – Vice: Looking for the new coronavirus in wastewater could give us a heads up about where the outbreak is spreading—and when it has started to dissipate. Your Poop Might Be Key For Predicting the End of the Pandemic
• 7 April – The Sacramento Bee: Scientists are studying sewer water — to find out how many people have coronavirus
• 7 April – StatNews: New research examines wastewater to detect community spread of Covid-19
• 2 April – De Volkskrant (Dutch): Nog voor artsen het doorhebben, vertelt ons rioolwater waar het coronavirus toeslaat
• 2 April – Futurezone (German): Corona-Früherkennung: Virus soll in Abwasser nachgewiesen werden
• 1 April – Taipei Times: Virus Outbreak: Virus in sewage foretold outbreak in Dutch city
• 1 April – Mitteldeutsche Zeitung (German): Corona-Viren im Abwasser gefunden: Warum das für Wissenschaftler ein Glücksfall ist (subscription)
• 1 April – Watershare: Rosina Girones, Research Group Leader at the University of Barcelona, and Prof. Gertjan Medema, Principle Microbiologist at KWR, shared their key insights on the virus. Summary of the Watershare Webinar on COVID-19 in the water sector (view the webinar from 30 March)
• 31 March – Welt Wissenschaft (in German): Forscher finden Coronaviren im Abwasser – und wittern eine Chance
• 31 March – Bloomberg World: Dutch Scientists Find a Novel Coronavirus Early-Warning Signal (including audio)
• 31 March – The Week: Dutch scientists find coronavirus in wastewater; increases scope of sewage surveillance
• 30 March – The Week (India): Dutch scientists find coronavirus in wastewater; increases scope of sewage surveillance
• 28 March – Nu.nl:  What we learn about the Corona virus through waste water research (animation in Dutch, source www.nu.nl, with English subtitles)
• 17 March – Aquatechtrade: Coronavirus and water/wastewater: a round-up of global advice

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