BOSTON — What’s flowing through the sewers of Boston and 42 communities to the north and south is offering a promising sign about the latest spread of COVID-19.
Data from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority shows a continued dip in viral RNA across metro Boston.
The most recent wastewater results potentially predict an even bigger decline in positive tests in the coming weeks. That’s because this testing method includes picking up levels of the virus from people before they know they’re infected.
The sewage that flows into the Deer Island Treatment Plant is analyzed three times a week as part of an MWRA pilot study.
According to Cambridge-based Biobot, which has a contract to process the samples, the testing method picks up both the current virus and variants.
Biobot is now working on fine tuning its testing in an effort to specifically identify and differentiate variants.
“If we have an idea that a variant is popping up in a certain area, that will give the health care system a little more warning,” said Jennings Heussner with Biobot.
Heussner said Biobot is hoping the make progress in this area of testing in the near future.
“Our team is working diligently to determine the feasibility of differentiating each individual strain within wastewater,” Heussner told Boston 25 News.
Beyond the MWRA pilot study, some communities have hired Biobot to analyze wastewater data specific to individual cities and towns.
“It gives us a number that we can track and graph each week,” said Karin Carroll, Gloucester’s Public Health Director. “It’s the only surveillance tool we have of everyone.”
Gloucester is one of the communities that receives weekly data about wastewater samples from its main treatment plant.
The samples include all Gloucester homes connected to the city’s sewer system and the small neighboring town of Essex.
“It’s a useful way to help us see what’s coming,” explained Carroll. “Other than that, you’re relying on positivity test results which is a very small portion of the population.”
Carroll hopes residents will remain vigilant even though the percentage of COVID-19 in Gloucester’s wastewater samples continues to significantly decline.
“These are positive signs, and we’re happy about it,” added Carroll. “We’re also cautiously optimistic and really watching what happens with these other strains.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms there have been at least five cases of the U.K. variant in Massachusetts.
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