The Briefing

Could our sewage save us from the pandemic?

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Episode notes

Experts at the Australian National University have been testing Canberra's sewage water for traces of COVID-19. Testing wastewater is a quick and inexpensive way of tracking the coronavirus and potentially alerting communities of an outbreak before it occurs, so should it be rolled out across the country?

 

We speak to Dr Aparna Lal from the ANU Research School of Population Health who is leading the team of researchers that took daily samples of wastewater covering the whole of the ACT, and found no traces of the virus. So is testing toilet water the answer? 

 

In today's news headlines:

• Melbourne plunged back into lockdown as NSW border slams shut
• “Don’t go to China,” warns federal government
• US considers TikTok ban
• Leading scientist says facemask refusers should be treated like drink drivers

 

In today's Briefing we ask: what can we pick up from testing sewage? Is this a way to get ahead of the curve compared to mainstream testing methods? Can you test the sewage of a specific localised area? How long has this kind of testing been going on? Does this method show undetected community transmission? Can it only detect the presence of coronavirus or does it give an indication of 'how much' virus is in an area? What's the legality around testing sewage? Are there any privacy concerns?