OHSKOSH (NBC 26) -- The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh will soon begin testing residence hall wastewater for COVID-19.
The school will use the Environmental Research and Innovation Center at the university to test for evidence of the virus. ERIC is a certified laboratory for both chemical and biological contaminants, the university says in a news release. The school says the lab already is testing sewage at a handful of local healthcare facilities for the same purpose.
“Wastewater testing has historically been a useful tool for the early detection of other diseases,” said ERIC lab manager Carmen Thiel. “Monitoring the dorm wastewater on the UW-Oshkosh campus for the presence of COVID-19 will assist University and Oshkosh area health officials in public health decision making, as COVID-19 can be shed in the feces of both symptomatic and asymptomatic people.”
UW-Oshkosh plans to begin testing wastewater the 10 residence halls shortly. The school says the test results will give UW-O officials a general idea of how much COVID-19 is in each residence hall, and swift action can then be taken if needed.
It’s not a strategy to find specifics on the number of cases in a building, the school says.
UW-O notes that other schools have conducted sewage testing for COVID-19, including UW-Madison. UW-O also cited claims from University of Arizona and University of Idaho, who say potential outbreaks were averted on their campuses due in part to wastewater testing.
