Water Sector News
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Hampton is tracking how much coronavirus is in what gets flushed
HAMPTON ROADS — As the coronavirus pandemic has slowed a bit and home testing becomes more available, official statistics likely don’t capture some COVID-19 cases.
If your neighbor or friend tested positive within their home and took a rapid test, chances are they didn’t report that to the health department. But the Hampton Roads Sanitation District monitors the trajectory of the virus from a consistent and reliable source: our sewage.
For more than two years, scientists there have collected samples from local treatment plants and sifted through them for traces of the coronavirus.
Infected people shed traces of the virus in their waste. HRSD gathers data and early warning signs about trends, like potential surges, a little before they start showing up in official health data.