CDPH, Discovery Partners Institute Announce Citywide System to Monitor COVID-19 in Wastewater

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Health

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Health

The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the citywide system to monitor the virus that causes COVID-19 and its variants in wastewater will continue for two years, leveraging $2.14 million in federal funding. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is detectable in human waste nearly from the onset of infection, while symptoms may not appear for three to five days – or for some, not at all. DPI, which is part of the University of Illinois system, and CDPH’s wastewater surveillance system to monitor SARS-CoV-2 launched in October. Findings are used – along with other public health surveillance data – to inform the City’s COVID-19 response, for example, by providing early warnings of a potential outbreak, or helping the City prioritize communities for enhanced COVID-19 testing or vaccination services. This system does not identify individuals who are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, but it allows the health department to monitor infection levels at community or population levels. The program builds on two prior initiatives: DPI’s efforts to develop a statewide monitoring system for the Illinois Department of Public Health, and previous sewer monitoring in Chicago and the Cook County Jail and O’Hare International Airport, funded by the Walder Foundation.

Comments are closed.