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Monitoring occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in school populations: A wastewater-based approach

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Authors

Castro Gutiérrez, Víctor Manuel
Hassard, Francis
Vu, Milan
Leitão, Rodrigo
Burczynska, Beata
Wildeboer, Dirk
Stanton, Isobel
Rahimzadeh, Shadi
Baio, Gianluca
Garelick, Hemda

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Abstract

Clinical testing of children in schools is challenging, with economic implications limiting its frequent use as a monitoring tool of the risks assumed by children and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, a wastewater-based epidemiology approach has been used to monitor 16 schools (10 primary, 5 secondary and 1 post-16 and further education) in England. A total of 296 samples over 9 weeks have been analysed for N1 and E genes using qPCR methods. Of the samples returned, 47.3% were positive for one or both genes with a detection frequency in line with the respective local community. WBE offers a low cost, non-invasive approach for supplementing clinical testing and can provide longitudinal insights that are impractical with traditional clinical testing.

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Keywords

SARS-CoV-2, CHILDREN, WASTEWATER, Clinical testing, SCHOOLS

Citation

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0270168

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