ASU researchers believe sewage gives them a way to track the coronavirus

Researchers at Arizona State University think they have found a way to track coronavirus, and keep economies going in places where the virus is not prevalent.

TEMPE, Ariz. - Researchers at Arizona State University think they have found a way to track coronavirus, and keep economies going in places where the virus is not prevalent.

It's an interesting concept, and one that could focus resources and restrictions to where they're needed most.

The Arizona cities of Tempe, Guadalupe and Gilbert are benefitting from this technology. Researchers argue they can find where hotspots of coronavirus are, and that will help determine what locations to put on a stay at home order, rather than a one-size-fits-all.

The answer, finding where the coronavirus is spreading, is all in the flush of that toilet.

"Whether you like it or not, the information we need is in the sewer, and the sewer doesn’t lie," said Rolf Halden, an ASU professor with the Biodesign Institute.

Halden and other researchers created an early warning system to detect the seasonal flu, by analyzing stool in the sewage systems. Little did they know how important their work would become during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"What we have in mind is to have a proactive system, where we see an increase in viruses and can react before people that are asymptomatic present at the health care facilities," said Halden.

Halden argues by collecting sewage samples, he can produce data for an entire city within 24 hours, and 80 % of the U.S. population within a week, adding that his method is much cheaper and faster than the clinical testing being done now.

"The irony is every test we run a test on an entire city -- the City of Chicago, two million people, cost the same amount of money to test one individual," said Halden.

Halden says this information would help community leaders to determine whether or not to shut down their economy based on science, rather than a guess.

"We want to be at every wastewater plant in the U.S. and help residential folks what can be done," said Halden.

On April 23, FOX 10 reported on similar efforts by researchers at University of Arizona.

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) - How it spreads, symptoms, prevention, treatment, FAQ

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